


A British Werewolf in Brooklyn

by VanBeezie263



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Road Trips, Sharing a Bed, Suspense, Vampires, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:21:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29406861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanBeezie263/pseuds/VanBeezie263
Summary: It has been a year since Jamie got attacked and turned by a werewolf from which she is still suffering slightly from the trauma. She stumbles into Dani, who is a doctor and has moved into an apartment not far from Jamie and Owen's town house in Brooklyn. However, there have been reports of strange attacks, along with missing blood supplies and misplaced bodies at hospitals. Little do they know, a 600 year old evil is awakening and it is up to them to stop it.
Relationships: Dani Clayton/Jamie
Comments: 37
Kudos: 81





	1. "Say You're There When I Feel Helpless"

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to my peeps on Discord for inspiring and supporting me to do this fic, if it weren't for them this fic wouldn't of happened! :)

“I still can’t believe you won over $100 at pool.” said Owen in between fits of laughter, stumbling out of the dive bar with Jamie close behind him, and into the fresh, spring nighttime air coating the mostly vacant Brooklyn street.

The best friends and roommates decided to go out for drinks after a very profiting Friday night at the restaurant they co-own. Owen’s lifelong dream was to own his own restaurant, and now it is a reality all thanks to the feisty woman who he met in college. Jamie was a freshman from jolly ol’ England as part of a student exchange programme, and since Owen was also born there, spending half of his childhood there before his family moved across the pond, he volunteered to be her guide and get her settled in the American lifestyle. The opportunity arose for Jamie to continue studying abroad as a permanent student, which she gladly accepted with no hesitation whatsoever. Anything to escape her unstable homelife and the judgemental glances of her classmates back across the pond.

After Owen graduated college, he spent two years at a culinary school in France, where he also had an apprenticeship working in the kitchen of a Michelin star restaurant. Jamie on the other hand, spent the two years working as bartender - secretly accumulating funds to help towards purchasing an establishment for her friend. She also spent time cultivating a vibrant herb garden, among other produce such as chillies, tomatoes, and potato barrels in the backyard of their shared townhouse.

When Owen returned from France, they had enough funds combined - thanks in small part to an inheritance from Jamie’s grandmother after she passed, to purchase a vacant lot in walking distance from their house. They spent a busy, backbreaking couple of months refurbishing it to their taste, but it was up to code and ready to start business. Owen happily works in the kitchen, obviously, since he refuses to let Jamie near any kitchen appliance which even includes the toaster. Not to mention she is a pretty shite cook, her words not his, so that leaves Jamie to handle the business side of things. Ever since she was a kid, she has a knack for reading people, like their mannerisms and body language, which comes in handy when they want to get a discounted price from their food suppliers - besides the produce Jamie grows in their garden. Her exceptional work ethic is also a bonus, working late hours stationed at the bar area, waiting on tables, and repairing any faults or damages.

Jamie and Owen are slowly building ‘A Batter Place’ from the ground up, working as a well oiled machine with a good staff behind them, that includes his younger sister; Nadine, who helps out in the kitchen as sous chef and even waitressing, wherever she is needed most. Jamie treats all the Sharma’s as family, and the feeling is mutual. All in all, things are going swimmingly for the dynamic duo.

“That is what those dickheads get for running their mouths off.” replied Jamie, simply not giving two shits as she shoves her hands into the pockets of her beaten up, brown leather jacket.

Owen turns to the direction of their house a couple of blocks down the road, his bushy eyebrows knitting together in confusion when he notices that his comrade is not following his lead. “You coming, Jamester?”

Jamie scrunches her face in disapproval at the choice of nickname that he always uses whenever he wants to get her attention, or to simply annoy her. However, it is not the worst nickname he has used on her, but luckily he only uses that one in drastic situations.

“Nah, you go on ahead. After all those beers, I have a hankering for the greasiest, jampacked burger I can find.” Her head jerks in the direction of the reasonably sized park at the end of the street, where on the other side one of her most frequented haunts is located. A small fast food joint that when she has been throwing back the bottles of beer, serves one of the best burgers to appease her alcohol fueled appetite.

Owen shakes his head in amusement at Jamie’s antics, watching as she ambles down the street in the opposite direction to him. “I will see you back home! Be careful!” he called out, even though he knows she can take care of herself. He does not need to fear her staggering around the park in a drunken stupor since her alcohol tolerance is considerably higher than most, built up from beer pong and keg stands in college. Not to mention in the likelihood Jamie would be targeted by an assailant, Owen would pity the poor soul who would dare tangle with the hot-headed brunette. Despite her short height, she can easily pummel men twice her size. He even had the good fortune to witness her beat an ex-marine in a friendly arm wrestling match during one of their night outs.

Jamie swivels around on the heel of her well-worn, black combat boot to give her best friend a two finger salute in response whilst she steps backwards towards the park, before turning back and picking up the pace.

Her olive green eyes survey the eerily empty park as she cuts through the playground, sticking to the craggy footpath, keeping a watchful eye for any unsavoury folk, who may have less than innocent intentions - lurking in the shadows. The perimeter of the park is lined by trees and thick shrubbery, so if she were to get assaulted, her attacker would have the perfect coverage. Her mind immediately jumps to an overused horror movie cliche when she walks past a swingset, the seat rocking back and forth due to the mild breeze. She mentally shakes the thought from her mind when the alarm of a car parked on the street ahead of her abruptly goes off, startling her briefly and preventing her from registering movement in the nearby bushes.

Jamie scowls in the direction from where the car is incessantly honking. “You gotta love the New York City nightlife.” she mused to herself.

A deep, guttural growl emits from a cluster of bushes a couple of feet away from her, drowning out the noise of the car alarm, leading her to freeze on the spot and dissuading her from making any sudden movements - in case it is a feral animal. She silently prays it is a lost dog, wary of strangers. However, judging by the way the reasonably tall shrubbery is shaking, it would have to be a pretty big dog.

Jamie stays frozen on the footpath, debating whether to wait it out until whatever it is fucks off, or to simply leg it and hope for the best. Preferring not to be a sitting duck for Cujo 2.0, she opts for the latter and bolts towards the opening at the end of the path that leads onto a main street. She pumps her legs furiously in sheer determination of mainly not wanting to wind up as dog chow or a segment on the nightly news, until in a flash, something big and heavy pounces on her from the nearby foliage - knocking her to the grass and pinning her shoulders to the ground.

The beast seems canine in appearance, except no canine to her knowledge stands roughly 7 ft tall, easily towering over Jamie. Another thing, she is pretty certain that there is no species of dog which has the physique of a MMA fighter. Every inch of the creature’s broad and bulky frame is covered by chestnut brown hair, aside from a jagged white line stretching down from in between its shoulder and neck, stopping midway on its left pectoral muscle. Jamie reasons it must be a scar, probably from a tussle with another wild animal, that or a wound it sustained from being unsuccessfully hunted down by Van Helsing.

Jamie struggles under its vice-like grip on her shoulders, using all her strength to try and push the immensely strong creature off her. She even tries to kick it off with as much force she can muster, but the animal hardly budges. It’s razor sharp claws slowly dig in, piercing through her jacket and into her skin causing her to hiss through clenched teeth in pain. The beast’s snout is only inches from her face, snarling to reveal a set of menacingly pointy fangs.

_ Fuck. I really am in a horror movie. _

The thought flashes through her mind just as the monster sinks its teeth into the apex of her neck and left shoulder. The pain is so intense that she lets out a scream from the top of her lungs, but she also hopes the noise will alert anyone nearby. However, if someone were to hear her it would not be uncommon for them to turn a deaf ear, she ponders morbidly. If she has any hope of escaping this ordeal alive, she will have to do some quick thinking.

Using a method Owen taught his younger sister for any circumstance she happens to be walking the city’s streets alone at night, Jamie quickly uses her right hand to reach into her right jacket pocket, yanking out her set of keys and hurriedly setting her apartment key between the knuckles of her index and middle finger before clenching it firmly into place by balling her hand into a tight fist. She wastes no time and instantly stabs the beast in the side of its neck, encouraging the beast to remove its teeth and claws from her before standing upright on its hind legs as it howls in pain, all the while with the feisty brunette’s apartment door key stuck in its neck.

_ What fucking kind of animal is that? _

Jamie chooses to file away that question for later and takes the opportunity to escape while the beast is distracted. Her body groans in protest as she staggers onto her feet. Ignoring the pain from her wounds and aching limbs, she makes a beeline for the park opening. The creature swipes its claws wildly at her just as she escapes its grasp, the tips of its claws slashing across her abdomen. Her hands immediately clutch her stomach from the contact. Gritting her teeth and fueled with adrenaline from her need to survive, she manages a hasty retreat out of the park and onto the main street.

Sagging against the metal fence that surrounds the park, Jamie gazes down at her hands clutching her stomach, not surprised to find them covered in blood, along with the front of her clothes from the wounds she sustained. Blood is still oozing from the deep bite to her shoulder and adding to the equation the rate of blood that is dripping out from the slash marks to her abdomen and onto the sidewalk, she is going to bleed out soon if she does not seek medical attention as quickly as possible.

Taking laboured breaths, Jamie shoves her hand into the pocket of her jeans, relieved to find that her phone is still in there and did not fall out during the attack. She uses her right hand to call for a paramedic while the other still clutches her stomach, unfazed that she is getting bloody fingerprints on the screen of her phone. Her body is getting weaker by the second and she is pretty sure she can taste pennies.

Her vision blurs as she tries to focus on the keypad, even though it is only three numbers, it is taking her maximum effort to enter the digits. Her thumb barely taps the last digit before her knees buckle causing her to drop her phone and collapse into a heap onto the sidewalk. Her eyes slowly drift closed, no longer having the strength to keep them open whilst blood trickles out of her wounds, pooling around her unconscious body and coating the sidewalk in crimson.

Her vision fades to black.

* * *

**One Year Later**

Jamie awakens with a start. Bolting upright in her bed where she takes deep, steadying breaths. Her hands ball the sheets into her fists. Her body is covered in a thin sheen of sweat, causing her tank top and shorts to stick to her skin. Another nightmare induced from the memory of the attack. They are slowly getting less frequent as time passes, but the trauma still lingers. Even though she miraculously survived the attack, it has drastically changed her life. For better or for worse? She is still debating.

Shortly after the attack she noticed a few drastic changes to her physiology. For starters, her body heals at an exceedingly fast rate after sustaining any damage. Case and point, despite being used as a feral beast’s scratching post, she fully recovered from her injuries remarkably fast, taking her only three days to heal. Depending on the severity, the quicker her wounds heal. Her physical strength has vastly improved too. She can lift over a tonne in weight, but when angered or stressed, she has a habit of breaking things. It does come in handy though when the restaurant is scheduled for any huge deliveries. It also enhanced her speed and stamina, permitting her to run several blocks without breaking a sweat. Her regular morning jogs are now a piece of piss.

In addition, Jamie’s senses have been greatly heightened. That took a while for her to grow accustomed to. Her improved eyesight allows her to see with amazing clarity. Colours appear more vivid. It also enables her to easily navigate at night. However, her enhanced hearing was the real bitch to adjust to. Jamie had to learn how to discern certain noises since her ears are able to pick up every single sound in a one mile radius, including frequencies below the average human’s hearing range. Not to mention, she is sensitive to loud sounds, but luckily, she lives in a fairly quiet neighbourhood with considerate neighbours, and Owen is a talented cook, so he rarely sets off the smoke detectors. Her improved sense of smell on the other hand, is both a blessing and a curse. For instance, she loves the fact she can really appreciate the fragrances plants emit and the delicious aromas from the restaurant kitchen. The downside, her nose also picks up foul and strong odours, which is no fun when she has to walk down an alleyway reeking of rubbish and piss. The same goes for her heightened taste. A great New York pizza tastes so much richer than before, except she can no longer tolerate sour food, which sucks because she absolutely loves lemons.

The digital alarm clock on her nightstand abruptly beeps to life, perturbing Jamie from her thoughts and on reflex she slams her fist onto the device with more force than necessary, and due to her enhanced strength she winds up smashing it to bits. Jamie breathes out a frustrated groan whilst her fingers run through her sweat dampened hair before she drops her hands onto her lap. Swinging her legs off the bed and grabbing her phone, she meanders out of her bedroom, foregoing a shower until after she has completed her daily morning jog, and trudges down the stairs.

Owen is in the kitchen merrily humming a nonsensical tune to himself whilst he fries several rashers of bacon in a pan. Jamie snatches her pack of cigarettes and fluorescent green lighter from the coffee table as she walks through the living room and into the kitchen, where he greets her with a simple wave, sensing she is not in a talking mood.

“I’m gonna have a quick smoke before breakfast.” Jamie informed him before sliding the backdoor open and stepping out onto the patio.

She pulls out a cigarette from the pack and lights it, taking a long drag. She plops herself down on the porch swing, the gentle rocking momentum helping to alleviate the tension in her body. She inhales the aromas from her beloved flowers and plants, their fragrances calming her. After she has finished her cigarette, disposing the butt into an empty tin can that she uses as a makeshift ashtray, she re-emerges back into the kitchen, where a bacon sandwich is waiting for her on the round kitchen table.

“Rough night?” asked Owen, peering over his shoulder whilst he scrubs the grease of the frying pan in the sink. His face laced with concern.

Owen has helped Jamie tremendously this past year. She owes him greatly for his support and his unfaltering loyalty. He is the only person who knows about her...transformation. He helped her come to the conclusion that she is in fact a werewolf. Even though, at the time he said it as a joke after she told him about the weird and sudden changes her body was going through. At first, the two friends watched a series of werewolf movies as part of ‘research’, but Jamie soon dismissed it as ridiculous to base their knowledge on a creature of myth and folklore on its depiction in movies and TV shows. Not to mention, watching werewolf attacks prompted her to relive the trauma, leading Owen to purchase books on the subject at a bookstore that specialises in the occult. One book in particular provided loads of useful information on lycanthropy, greatly assisting Jamie with understanding werewolf physiology and lunar cycles among other things. Before undergoing her first transformation during a full moon, Jamie and Owen spent the previous week soundproofing the basement and installing reinforced restraints that they purchased online, avoiding the raised eyebrows from store clerks and sparing them from conjuring a bullshit explanation as to why they are buying thick metal chains, brackets, and shackles. That would have been awkward. Jamie’s first transformation went off without incident, despite Owen getting not a wink of sleep out of fear he would become a werewolf’s midnight snack.

“Whatever gave you that idea?” replied Jamie dryly. She dumps her pack of cigarettes and lighter on the table before she sits down and digs into her sandwich.

“Besides the fact you look, no offence, like you want to commit bloody murder, and that you usually practically inhale a bacon sarnie when presented with one?” he teased good-naturedly. He sits down opposite her with a bowl of muesli and fresh blueberries, along with a cup of tea. “I bumped into Kurt this morning when I was taking out the rubbish bags to the curb, and he mentioned he heard what he could only describe as ‘dog’ noises coming from our house.”

Kurt is a elderly man, who lives alone next door. He is retired and prefers to keep to himself, but he seems friendly, always offering a brief greeting or a short conversation whenever one of the pair happens to cross paths with him. Jamie even lends a helping hand to him when needed, such as helping him carry his groceries and shovelling snow off his front steps so he does not slip.

Jamie winces in embarrassment at the information. “Shit.” she hissed. “Sorry about that. What did you tell him?”

“I told him that we got engrossed watching nature documentaries last night and that he most likely heard the episode focusing on grey wolves. I then apologised for the noise and that we will try to keep the volume down in future.” explained Owen to her relief.

“Maybe I should sleep in the basement from now on.” quipped Jamie morbidly. Nevertheless the thought has crossed her mind on several occasions.

“Not happening, Jamester.” Owen’s response and usage of the nickname she despises, only ranked second in her most loathed nicknames, earns him a playful glare from the curly-haired brunette.

“Whatever,” she sighed, and she scoffs down the rest of her sandwich. “I’m gonna go for my daily run.” she drops her empty plate into the sink full of water before she starts rummaging through the pile of clothes in the laundry basket, searching for a pair of clean joggers.

Owen almost drops his spoon when he suddenly remembers a useful bit of information. “Oh, I forgot to mention. Claudia called me this morning, she had an accident yesterday and sprained her ankle, so I will need to rearrange the rotas. Would you mind covering her shift tonight, while I fiddle about with the shifts?” He asked, smiling hopefully at the fiery woman.

“No probs,” replied Jamie with a shrug of her shoulders, “waiting on tables makes a nice change from constantly tending the bar for the past couple of weeks.” She grins victoriously when she finds a pair of grey joggers, swiftly pulling them on over her shorts.

“You are a lifesaver, Jamie.” He toasts his cup of tea at her before taking a drink of the hot beverage.

_ The feeling is mutual. _

Jamie thinks to herself as she laces up her running shoes, except in her case she believes the feeling is more warranted since Owen has constantly had her back and really helped pull her through her darkest moments after the incident a year ago. He has had to tolerate her volatile mood swings, her monstrous appetite, and her beastly transformation during a full moon. She really is fortunate to have him as a friend.

Jamie grabs a comb and elastic toggle from the drawer in the kitchen containing all their knickknacks and swiftly runs the comb through her hair before using the toggle to tie her hair back. She throws on her hoody that she had tossed onto the back of the sofa, and gives Owen a two finger salute as she pulls open the front door.

“Enjoy your run.” called out Owen.

Jamie closes the door behind her, jumping over the small set of concrete steps that lead to their house, and as soon as her feet land firmly onto the sidewalk she proceeds with her daily run around the neighbourhood. Her route takes her through streets lined with town houses and apartment buildings, including the odd convenient store or other business. She enjoys her morning jogs, it helps clear her mind and organise her thoughts. Not to mention it is great for burning off extra energy when her body is pent up with frustration during a lunar cycle. Luckily, the next lunar cycle is not scheduled for a few weeks.

However, her nose picks up an intriguing scent whilst she jogs at a steady pace further down her street, not even the smell of freshly baked bread from the bakery she passes deters the scent. It gets stronger as she follows her route, which she has no objections to seeing as today is rubbish day. Rubbish bags are scattered along the curbs, and with her heightened smell inhaling the foul odors, that can be particularly off putting, except the new scent she has detected is so intoxicating, she is not too bothered by the smell of other people’s filth.

She continues her run through a street mostly filled with moderately sized apartment complexes, where the scent is getting much stronger. It smells sweet. Very sweet...yet fresh. Like fruit. Pomegranate to be specific. She is also picking up a hint of coconut. Judging by the underlying aromas of oils and lathering agents it is a shampoo.

She slows her run when she perceives a moving truck further down the street, stacks of boxes on the sidewalk next to a small set of stairs that lead to a redbrick apartment building that stands three stories tall. The heavenly aroma is definitely coming from there. Curious as to whom the fragrance belongs to, she lessens her pace to a stroll as she advances towards the moving truck.

Her eyes catch a flash of blonde hair retreating into the back of the truck. Reasoning she only wants to capture a glimpse of the person who is sending her nose into override, she hangs back a bit, crouching down to feign tying her laces while frequently glancing back and forth at the opening at the back of the truck.

“Is there another box of books in the truck?” called out a feminine voice from the open entryway of the apartment building. Oddly enough, she sounds British.

“Just checking.” answered the most melodic voice to have ever graced Jamie’s ears. Pomegranate and coconut woman on the other hand, most definitely does not sound British. Her accent is obviously American, but it is not from New York. Jamie is not familiar with the different dialects from the various states to try and hazard a guess.

The other woman, who Jamie assumes is blondie’s friend or roommate - or both, steps out from the entryway. She appears to be roughly the same age as Jamie and if the brunette had to go out on a limb, she would guess blondie is too. Blondie’s friend struts over to the back of the truck awaiting for the retrieval of the aforementioned box of books.

And that is when Jamie finally  _ sees  _ blondie in all her stunning glory, right as she maneuvers around the assortment of boxes and furniture to the opening of the truck to carefully hand her friend a box. Her golden blonde hair is tied back with a blue scrunchie in a low ponytail, except that is not what is currently gaining her attention. Aside from her sparkling blue eyes, it is her radiant smile. That smile; Jamie reckons, could brighten anyone’s day. To say she is beautiful is an understatement.

“How many books do you own?” questioned blondie’s friend in disbelief, just about managing to carry the box.

“Uh, there are still a few more boxes.” Blondie grins sheepishly at her friend as she adds, “I like to read.”

“So do I, but I don’t own the equivalent of half a bookstore.” her friend teased in a playful nature before retreating back into the apartment to deposit the box.

Jamie observes the amount of boxes and furniture stored in the truck from her crouched position, perplexed as to why there seems to be no one else helping them. By the look of things, it appears it is just the two of them tasked to unload still a fair share of boxes and multiple large pieces of furniture - including their beds. At this rate, unloading and moving furniture will take them to the evening.

_ They are gonna be knackered. _

Jamie contemplates whether to be an arsehole and ignore them whilst she jogs past, or to take advantage of her heightened strength and assist these two women with their hordes of stuff. She does not start her shift at the restaurant until six this evening. She can unload all of that no problem. It will probably give her more of a workout than the jog.

_ Besides, us gals have got to stick together. _

Figuring she has spent enough time fake tying her laces than more is necessary, she stands upright. Taking a deep, steadying breath before she slowly approaches the truck.

“Hey,” greeted Jamie with an awkward wave, except her voice startled the other woman, who had her back turned to the opening of the truck leading her to stumble into a floor lamp, “oh, shit.”

Blondie quickly grabs onto the pole of the lamp to regain her composure. “Oh, hello.” she said with a nervous laugh.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to give you a fright.”

“It is not your fault. I am simply a klutz.” The perky blonde hops down from the truck so she can properly greet the awkward brunette, “Hi, my name is Dani.”

_ Dani. Pretty name. It most definitely suits her. _

“Jamie.” She wipes the nervous sweat from the palm of her hand onto her joggers before extending it out for a handshake which  _ Dani  _ kindly accepts.

_ Wow. Her hands are really soft. And smooth. I wonder what moisturiser she uses. _

“Who is your new friend?”

Jamie quickly retracts her hand at the reemergence of Dani’s friend.

“Rebecca, this is Jamie.” Dani waves her hand between the two women, “Jamie, meet my roommate Rebecca.”

Jamie politely shakes Rebecca’s hand which she reciprocates.

“Yeah, I-uh live a couple blocks away,” she points her thumb in the direction of her house over her shoulder. “I couldn’t help but notice you have quite a lot of stuff and I figured you could use a hand.” she swiftly holds both her hands up defensively as she adds, “But only if you want it.”

“We could use the extra help with the larger pieces of furniture.” reasoned Dani to her friend.

Jamie retrieves her phone from the pocket of her joggers, pulling out her driver’s license from her leather flip phone case - which doubles as a cardholder and wallet. She brandishes her license to the two women to confirm her identity and address, and returns it back to the case after they nod their heads in approval.

“Just to put your minds’ at ease.” she clarified - slowly clenching her hand into a fist and unclenching it out of anxiousness.

Rebecca quirks a perfectly shaped eyebrow at the curly-haired brunette, “A fellow Brit?” She inquired after taking note of her accent.

“Guilty.” chuckled Jamie.

“Londoner. Born and raised.” stated Rebecca. “What about you?”

Dani seems particularly interested in Jamie’s response.

“Blackburn.”

“Ooooh, Blackburn,” commented Dani with intrigue, “sounds exotic.”

Jamie lets out a breathy laugh, “It really isn’t.”

Dani’s brilliant blue eyes darted to the back of the truck and back to her friend, “We could use the extra help.” she bites her lip as she stares expectantly at her roommate with her best wounded puppy expression - eager for help and the opportunity to get to know Jamie better.

“You do not need to give me the puppy dog eyes, Dani.” Rebecca giggles at the blonde’s antics. “The more help we can get, the merrier.”

“I don’t mean to pry, but why is it just you two unloading all of that stuff?” asked Jamie.

“A couple of my buddies from law school were meant to drive down and lend us a hand, except their car broke down and they were forced to bail.” explained Rebecca, exasperation evident on her face.

“Aaaand we couldn’t reschedule it for another day since we could only rent the moving truck for today.” added Dani.

“So,” Jamie claps her hands together as her eyes shift between the boxes and furniture inside the truck, “we better crack on. What should I grab first?”

“We need to unload the boxes first because it will make it easier to move the furniture.” Rebecca climbs onto the back of the truck followed by Dani, who hands Jamie a medium-sized box containing books.

Jamie maneuvers the box so she is carrying it under her right arm and gazes expectantly at the blonde, lifting her left arm - silently asking the other woman for another box which catches her off guard, but she complies, placing another box under the brunette’s open arm.

Dani and Rebecca observe her as she carries both boxes with ease.

“I exercise,” claimed Jamie, “a lot.”

She is not lying when she says she exercises. It is the  _ a lot  _ part that is questionable. Yeah, she jogs daily, but that is only for 30-40 minutes tops, and she regularly does squats, crunches, pushups, and pullups. However, she does not do it excessively.

“Where am I taking this lot?” she asked.

“Apartment 2B.” stated Dani.

With Jamie’s help, unloading the truck goes a lot quicker and easier than the other two women would have anticipated. But, that can probably be attributed to her hidden perk of enhanced strength. Of course she tried not to draw suspicion to herself - pretending to get out of breath and struggling a little bit with the larger pieces of furniture. She even got to know the two women better, engaging in friendly conversation. Especially with Dani. Jamie learnt that Rebecca is an intern for one of the biggest law firms in Manhattan; Wingrave & Crain, whereas Dani is a doctor at St. James’ Hospital in Brooklyn. Dani moved away from her suffocating hometown in Iowa after graduating from high school to study at a medical school in New York. She had got a job as a nanny for two siblings whose legal guardian is Rebecca’s now boss; Henry Wingrave, to aid with student loans and housing. She had met Rebecca when she was interviewing candidates for her replacement. The two became fast friends and the rest is history.

Jamie thought it would be fair to share some information about herself, except she did not delve too much into her background - not wanting the looks of sympathy from her trainwreck of a childhood. She mainly told them about how she met Owen and how they built a thriving business together.

However, she has noticed something curious about the blonde. On a few occasions throughout the morning and afternoon, she has caught Dani staring at her. Not in a flirtatious way - even though there might be the odd exception. But in the manner in which the doctor knits her eyebrows together and tilts her head as she gazes at the brunette.

Jamie has just placed the last item from the truck in the living room when she catches the other woman in the act again from the corner of her eye. Her lips twitch into a smirk.

“Have I got something on my face?” She waves a hand, gesturing to her face in amusement.

Dani laughs out of awkwardness and from being caught red handed, “Sorry, I promise I am not being a creep. It is just,” she bites her bottom lip as she studies the feisty brunette, “you look familiar. Have we met before?”

“I probably remind you of someone else,” assumed Jamie before smiling coyly at the blonde, “otherwise, I would  _ definitely  _ remember meeting you before.”

Dani’s cheeks swiftly tint a rosy pink before Rebecca suddenly appears in the hallway leading to their bedrooms, where she was busy making her bed.

“What should we do for dinner, Dani?” inquired the law intern, “Order out?”

Jamie pulls out her phone and gazes at the time on her lockscreen, “I have to go. My shift at the restaurant starts in an hour.” she rushes towards the open doorway, but abruptly pauses and turns around, “If you are stuck on what to have for dinner, you can always swing by the restaurant if you want?”

“Won’t it be busy?” asked Rebecca.

“Nah,” replied Jamie with a casual shrug of the shoulders, “it is always quiet on a Wednesday, but it is good food.  _ Real  _ food. And it is at an affordable price. None of that poncey shite.”

“We may have to hold you up to that offer.” commented Dani with an airy laugh.

“Hopefully I will catch you later.” Jamie gives both women a two finger salute before heading back out of the apartment, except the blonde’s voice stops her.

“Thank you, Jamie.” said Dani with a sincere smile.

“Thanks, Jamie. You helped a bunch.” chimed in Rebecca.

Jamie nods her head in acknowledgement and closes the door behind her. Dani bites her lip and tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear, which earns a knowing grin from her friend.

“Shut up, Rebecca.” scolded the blonde playfully.

* * *

Jamie jogs back home in record time to quickly hop into the shower to which she curses herself for, as she has done the majority of the day without one. She hopes Dani did not notice and if she did, she did a great job masking it. She frantically scrubs her hair with shampoo followed by a conditioner before getting dressed in the uniform she wears when she waits tables. Her uniform consists of a simple white, button down shirt, black dress pants, and black lace-up shoes. She bounds down the stairs, snatching her black, denim sherpa jacket as she passes the coat rack and leaves the house for work.

When she arrives at the restaurant, she dumps her coat in the back office that she shares with Owen, and steps into the kitchen where her best friend and roommate is preparing food on the industrial countertop.

“Had fun, Jamie?” asked Owen with an impish smirk.

Jamie had informed him via text about her whereabouts and what she was doing so he would not get worried. However, going by his current expression, she is now regretting it.

She unbuttons the cuffs of her shirt and rolls the sleeves up to her elbows, all the while glaring at her friend. “Piss off.” she remarked with no malice.

Owen’s little sister; Nadine, or Naddie as Jamie likes to call her, saunters excitedly into the kitchen carrying a large gift bag which she places on the countertop.

“Evening, Jamie.” she greeted cheerfully.

“Hi, Naddie.” The brunette offers her a friendly wave. “What’s in the bag?”

“I come bearing gifts for my two favourite people.” she claps her hands excitedly before opening the bag and handing her older brother a brown leather knife roll.

Owen unrolls the case on the counter, revealing a selection of different sized chef’s knives leading his eyes to widen, “Jesus, Nadine. These must have cost you an arm and a leg.”

“Don’t sweat it, Owen.” jibed the young sous chef, who then rummages in the bag before handing a small box to the other woman.

Jamie eyes the box momentarily before pulling it open to find a watch with a small LED screen acting as the face attached to a black elastic strap. “It’s a watch?”

Nadine rolls her eyes at the brunette, “It is a smart watch, you dolt.” she removes the watch from the box and straps it around the older woman’s left wrist, “The guy at the store got it all setup for you so you can use it straight away after you sync it up with your phone. I figured you could use it to keep tabs on your cycle.”

“Cycle?” questioned Jamie, panicked that the young woman who she treats as her younger sister has cottoned on that she is a werewolf. If so, the younger Sharma is acting very calm about it.

“Yeah. The other day I overheard you talking with Owen about how you have to keep being reminded when your next cycle is, and how you forget to pay attention to your calendar. Both of them. The one on your kitchen wall and the one on your phone.” explained Nadine with eagerness, whereas the duo stare at her flabbergasted as what to say.

“At least now you can glance down at your watch and know that it is Tampon Time!” she waves her hands in the air similar to a party goer at a rave.

_ Oh, she thinks I was referring to my menstrual cycle. _

Jamie and Owen both silently sigh in relief while his younger sister is preoccupied with dancing like a loon.

“Thanks, Naddie.”

Owen crosses his arms over his chest as he fixes his sister a firm look, “Where on Earth did you get the money to pay for all of this?”

“I won five grand with a scratch card.” she replied as if it is common knowledge. “I found a dollar bill on the ground so I thought I would try my luck.”

“A scratch card?” questioned Jamie in disbelief, “How?”

“Yeah, you grab a penny and scratch out the boxes to reveal symbols,”

Jamie interrupts the other woman’s teasing by raising her hand, “I know what a bloody scratch card is. It’s the odds of winning something that baffles me. You have a better chance of being struck by lightning.”

“I am just lucky, I guess.” Nadine grabs the bag which now predominantly contains items she brought for herself and she turns on her heel in a flourish to head to the small locker room where employees can safely store their belongings.

“At least someone is.” muttered Jamie under her breath bitterly.

* * *

The first hour of her shift is mind numbingly boring. The few customers they did have, she tended to them with amicable conversation and a polite smile, but when she was not waiting on them, she passed the time with the other waiter working tonight. Robbie; he is a college student who works as a part-time waiter. He is a good kid, reminding the brunette of her younger brother back in England. He is very tech savvy, and helped her to sync her phone with her brand new watch in addition to getting accustomed to it.

_ Actually, this watch ain’t that half bad. It will help keep tabs on my lunar cycle. _

Jamie is distracted from her thoughts when two familiar faces enter the establishment. One face in particular, if she has to be completely honest. She springs into action and welcomes Dani and Rebecca at the front desk. Glad that they took her up on her offer.

_ Perhaps tonight won’t be as boring after all. _

“Told ya it was quiet.” she nods her head in the direction of the dining area, where there is the odd customer seated at a table. “I promise it is not always like this.” She guides the two women to one of the vacant tables that seats two people.

Dani glances around the restaurant - taking notice of her surroundings. Framed black and white photographs of buildings and places of interest in the borough of Brooklyn adorn the walls. The whole area in general is tastefully decorated and has a warm atmosphere. “This is a really nice place.”

“Wait until you try the food.” Jamie smirks at the young doctor whilst she hands the women their menus.

Dani’s eyes fix on one of the framed photographs depicting the Brooklyn Bridge, “I love the photographs. They really capture the soul of Brooklyn.”

“T-Thank you.”

Dani notes the brunette’s awkward behaviour at the compliment and she comes to a realisation, “Did you take these photographs?” she asked, prompting the other woman to nod her head in confirmation. “You are very talented.”

“I studied photography in college. I try to do it in my spare time. My camera roll on my phone is mainly filled with pics of flowers and dogs.”

Meanwhile, Rebecca is browsing through the menu with a shiteating grin plastered on her face from the two women’s interactions with each other.

“Sooo, can I get you ladies anything to drink?”

The two young women enjoy their meal along with Jamie’s company, especially Dani - engaging in friendly banter with an underlying layer of flirting. The restaurant filled out with more customers as the evening progressed, so Jamie had to divide her attention between multiple tables, but she always found herself gravitating back to the blonde’s table, whereas Rebecca watched the pair in amusement. At the end of their meal, Rebecca’s phone vibrated with an audible buzz in the pocket of her jacket that is draped on the back of her chair. She retrieves her phone checking her messages.

“It is Henry. He wants me to call him back ASAP.” she stated whilst scrolling through her messages. “It is probably about our current case.”

Jamie surveys the street outside through the large front window, observing that traffic has got busier and a group of rowdy teenagers have gathered not far from the door. “You can use the back entrance to call your boss back. It is a lot more quieter.” she suggested.

“Are you sure that is okay?”

“One of the perks of being the boss.”

Jamie escorts Rebecca to the back entrance, informing Owen to keep an ear out for the law intern when she needs to come back inside. The area outback consists mainly of loading bays for the restaurant and neighbouring business. There are a couple of street lights providing plenty of light and an alley leading to the main street, so Rebecca feels relatively safe, but most importantly it is quiet enough to make her phone call, whereas Jamie returns to Dani at her table, where she finds that the blonde has left money for the bill, including tip.

_ 20%. Pretty and a generous tipper. _

“Will Rebecca be safe outback?” asked Dani, her face laced with concern.

“Yeah, jackshit happens out there.” reassured Jamie, “I got out there for a smoke and the only dangerous thing I have come across are stray cats. They go garrity when Owen is cooking fish.” she finishes her statement with a chuckle to put the other woman at ease.

Her joke encourages a genuine laugh to escape from the doctor’s mouth.

_ God, I love her laugh. _

“She’ll be fine.” she added with a wink - taking notice of the blush creeping up onto the blonde’s cheeks.

However, the mood is unexpectedly interrupted when Jamie’s ears pick up Rebecca’s voice from outside, except it sounds like she is in a struggle.

_ “Get your dirty hands off of me!” _

_ Shit. So much for her being fine. _

“Would you excuse me for a moment?” she said calmly so as not to alarm the blonde or arouse suspicion.

Dani playfully waves her off and mouths, “Go!”

Jamie leaves the table with an appreciative smile directed at the other woman before her facial expression switches to seriousness and she picks up her pace as she nears the back entrance that is for staff only. She quietly informs Owen to call 911 if he hears any screams, earning a dubious raise of his eyebrows, and she practically barges out through the metal door to discover an unsettling scene.

Rebecca is being pinned to the brickwall of a building across from the restaurant by one hand grasped tightly around her throat from her assailant. Her attacker is tall - easily over 6ft tall. They are wearing a hood over a baseball cap to conceal their identity, along with an abundance of men’s cologne that is offensive to Jamie’s nose. Interestingly, when she is able to distinguish their natural scent, it smells metallic - like iron. No testosterone. No estrogen. Not even sweat, which is especially odd considering they are holding up Rebecca about a foot off the ground with one hand. That is no easy feat.

“Oi!” yelled Jamie angrily, prompting the offender to drop Rebecca to the ground - her body laying limply with red and purple bruises already appearing around her throat. But to the feisty brunette’s relief, her ears pick up a steady heartbeat emitting from the law intern’s chest.

_ Poor love. She must have lost consciousness. _

Rebecca’s attacker averts all his attention towards Jamie, turning to face her whilst their hands are clenched into fists by their sides. Oddly enough, she is unable to detect a heartbeat from this arsehole.

_ That is a red flag. _

In addition to their eyes fucking glowing a bright amber from the shade under the brim of their cap.

_ That is another red flag. _

And she is pretty certain she can identify a pair of sharp fangs glistening from the streetlights.

_ Why do I always attract the weirdos? _

“You like attacking women in dark alleys?” snarled Jamie, “I’m a woman, why don’t you try me on for size?” 

Her normally olive green eyes flash red before the attacker lunges at her with a swift punch, except they are taken aback when she catches his fist in her hand. They are freakishly strong, but Jamie is stronger. They try to break free from her grasp - using their spare hand to claw at her hand. Jamie is in no mood to entertain this prick - grabs them by the front of their hoody and tosses them into a pile of scaffolding. They land in a heap onto the ground.

_ Twat. _

Jamie rushes over to Rebecca, who is still lying unconscious on the ground. Her heartbeat is still steady. Jamie retrieves her phone from the pocket of her trousers - dialling 911. She paces around the loading bay as she waits for the emergency dispatcher to pick up, except while she is pacing she realises the attacker is nowhere to be seen. Only fallen pieces of scaffolding littering the ground.

_ Who or what was that? _


	2. "The Woman in Black, She's a Mystery"

Jamie marches into the townhouse like a woman on a mission - flinging the door wide open and heading straight down to the basement. Her work shoes stomped against the wooden stairs. Owen enters the house shortly after - closing the door behind him. He was struggling to keep up to his feisty friend’s pace while they walked home after they finished work. After Rebecca was attacked, Dani checked her roommate over for any serious injuries whilst they waited for the paramedics to arrive. Rebecca only sustained dark, finger shaped bruises around her throat, along with a pounding headache when she regained consciousness not long before the paramedics arrived. At first, Rebecca had refused to seek any further medical attention, claiming that she was okay, but Dani managed to persuade her to go to the hospital to put the blonde’s mind at ease. Dani rode with her in an ambulance and Jamie returned back to work, except she could not get the images of the attacker out of her head.

She rifles through the bookcase where they store occult books that offer information about all things to do with the paranormal and supernatural. She removes books as she browses the shelves, grabbing books she figures will provide the best knowledge before dumping them on the air hockey table on the right side of the room. The left side serves as a laundry area, complete with a washing machine and dryer. But not including the large chest freezer that Owen stocks with meat for her cravings during a lunar cycle. However, in the far right corner is a makeshift room where Owen locks Jamie up for the night during a full moon. The locked room is sealed by a thick, metal, wall-sized sliding door with a chain and padlock whereas the other side is concealed by a wall consisting of thick cement blocks.

Owen ventures down into the basement to find Jamie furiously flipping through one of the books. Unsatisfied with the lack of information, she tosses the book to the side and grabs another. He picks up the discarded book off the floor - dusting it off.

“Everything okay, Jamie?” he inquired, but she is too focused on skimming through the pages of the book to pay attention to the chef.

She huffs out a frustrated sigh and drops the book onto the table before grabbing another - humming in victory when she realises it is a book about creatures from folklore. “If you want to make yourself useful, you can brush up on your knowledge in that creepy book you got.”

“It is a tome,” he pointed out - slightly offended, “and that creepy book has helped us out a lot with understanding werewolves. Even though I do think the lady in the store thought it was a novelty item.” he approaches the air hockey table, crouching down to remove the side panel where they both store their most prized valuables and heirlooms in case of a burglary. Nonetheless, whoever is brave enough to break into their house they better pray Jamie is not home otherwise they are in for a rude awakening.

“Just get the bloody book and look up werewolf characteristics,” she groused with a roll of her eyes, “I wanna cover all bases.”

Owen rummages blindly through the opening until his hand finds what he is looking for. He pulls out the item - wrapped loosely with brown paper to protect it from dust. He removes the paper to reveal a large, heavy ancient looking book with leather bindings and a latch to keep it sealed. In addition to an emblem depiction the head of a wolf engraved on the front. He unlatches the book with care and his eyes begin scanning the pages.

“What exactly am I looking for?” he questioned.

“I am pretty certain the tosser who attacked Rebecca wasn’t human,” she replied bluntly, earning a raise of the eyebrows from her friend, “sooo, look up physical attributes of werewolves when they are in human form.”

“You think her attacker was a werewolf?”

“Not entirely. I just want to cover all grounds,” reasoned Jamie, “and hunt down the prick.” she added with venom laced in her voice.

“And why do you assume her attacker is inhuman?”

“Well, jee, let me think,” she replied sarcastically, and she feigns pondering for a moment before continuing, “maybe it’s because they were able to lift a woman weighing roughly 115lbs clear off the ground like she weighed nothing. With one hand, no doubt. Or perhaps it’s because their fucking eyes glowed like a fucking cat. Not to mention, they had fucking fangs. Fangs? Like some sort of bat,” her face scrunches in thought at that detail, “not canine, which would discount werewolf, unless they are a hybrid,”

“Hybrid?”

“Which could explain the metallic smell, but not the lack of a heartbeat. That is a real head scratcher.”

Owen’s eyes widen at the latter, “Lack of heartbeat?” he spluttered.

“Yeah, I could hear Rebecca’s clear as day the same as everyone else. Except with this arsehole, there was nothing. Not even the slightest of pulses,” she drums her fingers on the cover of the book she is holding in contemplation for several moments before flicking to a particular page, “why didn’t I connect the bloody dots?”

“Dots?” he said baffled, “What dots?”

“The metallic smell,” she mused to herself in realisation. She looks up from the book at Owen, “what component in the human body smells metallic, most notably like iron?”

“Blood?” he said, further confused.

“So...what creature from myth and legend do we know of that has bat-like fangs, no heartbeat, and has an affinity for blood?” she gazes at him expectantly.

Owen stares at her dumbfounded, “Vampires?” he said with slight skepticism in his voice and she displays the page in the book she is holding that has basic information on vampires.

Jamie shrugs her shoulders in response, “Considering before a year ago we thought werewolves were just a thing of myth, it is not far from the realm of possibility.”

He nods his head in agreement. “We should probably do some research on them, just to be safe,” his suggestion encourages the brunette to resume studying the pages of the book, except he cautiously removes the book from her hands, “in the morning.” he added.

“Or now.” she reaches for the book but he holds it over his head with an outstretched arm, out of her reach. She narrows her olive green eyes at her best friend, “You fight dirty, Sharma.”

“You are too riled up at the moment to divulge in any of this,” he gestures to the pile of books on the air hockey table, “you need to eat and get some rest. We can order Chinese from your favourite place.” he advised.

“Orr…,” Jamie tilts her head in mock thought, “you could gimme that book so I know what I’m dealing with before I hunt them down and beat them to a bloody pulp!” she said firmly.

Owen remains unfazed whilst he fixes her a stern expression, “Eat. Sleep. Beat up vamps in the morning.” he nods his head playfully in the direction of the stairs.

Jamie slowly clenches her hand into a fist before straightening out her fingers. She can argue with Owen until the cows come home, but he has a point. Besides, she is pretty hungry and he only wants what is best for her. Even though she can hurl an alleged vampire 10 feet across a loading area with ease, he is still protecting her. Treating her no different than before her werewolf encounter. Owen Sharma is one of a kind, and a true friend.

“Fine.” she gruffed, and she heads upstairs.

* * *

The next morning, Jamie bounds down the stairs dressed in a mint green sweatshirt and light blue skinny jeans after having showered to find Owen sitting on the sofa in the living room whilst he browses through the books from the basement, along with his laptop situated on the coffee table in front of him, displaying a webpage about vampire lore. She grabs her pair of Converse sneakers from the shoe rack by the front door before perching on the recliner armchair adjacent to the sofa as she puts on her footwear.

“Someone’s been busy.” she commented with an impressed smirk.

“After what you told me last night, I wanted to delve deeper into the individual who...got under your skin.” he takes a sip from his cup of tea - avoiding her gaze.

“Under my skin?” she pauses from tying her laces, “Owen, that undead arsewipe attacked Rebecca.”

“Who just so happens to be close friends with a certain blonde who you find rather fetching.” he pointed out with a sly smile.

Jamie rolls her eyes and resumes tying her laces, “Firstly, given my predicament of transforming into a savage canine monster, I do not date. You know just in the likelihood they will find out and run for the hills, or the more gruesome scenario where they end up as my chew toy,” she glares at the chef before continuing, “and even if there were the slightest chance Dani felt some attraction towards me, that has all gone to shite now.” she punctuates her statement by tightening her shoelaces forcefully and standing to her feet.

Owen’s thick eyebrows knit together in confusion, “What makes you say that?”

“I…,” Jamie exhales through her nose in frustration and places her hands on her hips. “I was the one who told Rebecca to go out the back entrance. If I hadn’t, she wouldn’t have got attacked.” her hand fidgets with her simple, gold chain necklace with a remorseful expression etched on her face.

“You cannot blame yourself for that,” said Owen with utter sincerity, “and I am pretty sure Dani does not blame you either.”

Jamie scoffs, “Sure. Whatever.” she gives him a half-hearted two finger salute and hurries out of the house and towards the direction of the restaurant. Once she arrives at the restaurant, she ambles through the back alley that leads to the loading bay area, aka the scene of the crime. Her nose picks up small traces of the cologne still lingering in the air prompting her to twist her face into disgust.

_ Did they use the whole bottle? _

Her eyes scan the area, landing on the pile of fallen scaffolding. She sifts through the debris for any clues on the attacker’s identity, but she only finds a stainless steel keyring depicting a black and orange shield with a black chevron and above it is an open bible inscribed with ‘VET NOV TESTAMENTUM.’ She does not recognise the logo. However, it could provide her with a clue to the identity.

_ Might be a logo for a sports team. _

She pockets the keyring and follows the pungent scent of the cologne out of the alley. The trail leads her across the street and it stops at a dumpster behind her local coffee shop. She flips open the dumpster with one hand and rummages through the trash until she recognises a familiar item of clothing. A simple black hoodie. The same one that the attacker was wearing, reeking of men’s cologne. The manufacturer tag has been removed so it cannot be traced.

_ Bastard. They must have doused the hoodie in cologne so no one could track them. _

Jamie flings the hoodie back into the dumpster and slams the lid shut, out of pure frustration. Her nose twitches with revulsion that her hands now reek of garbage for nothing. She opts to wash the smell off in the restrooms of the coffee shop, and she really could go for some hot chocolate and cakes after stupidly skipping breakfast so she could play detective.

_ That fucking keyring better give me a good lead. _

She trudges into the coffee shop, paying for her order and scrubbing the muck of her hands in the ladies restroom whilst she waits for her order. Deeming her hands sufficiently cleaned, she exits the restroom and takes a seat at one of the small tables next to the front windows. She pulls out the keyring that she found from the pocket of her jeans - her eyes scrutinise the logo searching for any kind of clue to identifying the attacker. She is so deep in thought that even with her enhanced hearing, she barely picks up the sound of the bell chiming above the door - signalling a customer. However, her nose does register a familiar scent.

_ Pomegranate and coconut shampoo. _

Jamie quickly shoves the keyring back into her pocket before peering over her shoulder to find to her pleasant surprise, a particular blonde. Except, Jamie is not certain she can face the other woman at the moment, after Rebecca was attacked. She swiftly faces forward, hoping the young doctor has not yet noticed her. The brunette crosses her arms on the table, hunching forward in her seat - pretending to pay attention to a man walking his dog.

_ T-Rex rules apply. If I remain perfectly still maybe she will not see me. _

However, her reasoning is soon proven flawed when the grumpy, teenage male barista calls out her whole fucking order for the whole fucking coffee shop to hear in the most monotone voice.

“I have two bearclaws, two chocolate doughnuts, two blueberry muffins, one pecan muffin, one toffee muffin, four chocolate chip cookies, three scones, one croissant, and a hot chocolate for a Jamie!”

_ He did that on purpose. _

The fiery brunette curses under her breath as she approaches the counter where she snatches the two white paper bags and her drink from the barista. “Why don’t you shout it out louder?” she stares daggers at the teenager as she returns to her seat at the table.

_ Snot-nosed little twat. _

A few moments later, the inevitable happens.

“Jamie?” Dani steps into her line of view and waves her hand in greeting with her trademark radiant smile.

“Uh-hi.” replied Jamie, perplexed at the other woman’s cheeriness.

_ Why is she smiling? _

“Do you mind if I join you?” asked the blonde.

“N-No, go ahead.” Jamie gestures to the chair opposite her and the woman of her affections takes a seat. “How is Rebecca?” she inquired with interest.

“She is doing okay. She is working from home for the next couple of days, under my orders,” she says the latter with a playful grin before continuing, “she has a very sore throat but nothing that a hot lemon and honey cannot fix.”

“I’m sorry.” blurted out Jamie, remorse evident in her green eyes.

“You do not need to apologise, Jamie,” she reaches across the table where she places a reassuring hand on the brunette’s, “you are not the one who attacked her.”

“No, but I am the numpty who suggested she use the back entrance,” a sardonic laugh escapes Jamie’s mouth at her own stupidity, “an unsuspecting young woman plus a dark alley equals looking for trouble. I should’ve done the math.” she gently removes her hand from under the blondes - thinking she is undeserving of the other woman’s forgiveness.

“Well…,” Dani’s lips quirk into a teasing smile, “us gays have never been good at maths.”

Jamie conceals her laughter into her fist with the doctor doing the same, except she is biting her bottom lip. Eventually their laughter dies down and they sit in amicable silence until Dani speaks up.

“But, in all seriousness. You shouldn’t beat yourself up over what happened to Rebecca. It could have happened to anyone. I may have only known you for about a day, but I can tell you are a good person,” she eyes the brunette’s bags of pastries with an amused expression on her face, “who has a significant sweet tooth.”

Jamie immediately jumps on the defensive in a good natured fashion, “I will have you know, I have a really high metabolism and a...ravenous appetite.”

_ Not a lie. _

“It is your body and you are free to do with it as you wish, except if it is harmful, and speaking as a doctor, the croissant alone has just over 400 calories.” she smiles innocently at the other woman, resting her chin on the palm of her hand.

“No wonder they taste so good.” Jamie smirks deviously at the blonde before playfully batting one of her bags of food across the table, “You want a doughnut?” she holds open the bag expectantly.

Dani gazes at curly-haired brunette, feigning a disapproving look for several seconds until she grabs a doughnut, “Just one.” she reasons.

“Technically, I only offered you  _ a  _ doughnut,” pointed out Jamie with a roguish glint in her eyes, “the rest of these bad boys are for me.” she pulls the bag away and retrieves the other doughnut.

The two begin munching on their doughnuts until Dani’s eyes suddenly widen when she remembers a piece of important information.

“Rebecca was questioned by the police while she was getting checked over at the hospital. However, she does not remember much about her attacker since it all happened so fast. I would not be surprised if they contact you for a statement as you fended the assailant off, which we are both eternally grateful for.” she smiles earnestly at the other woman before her smile falters into a frown, “I dread to think what would have happened to Rebecca if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”

“Hey,” Jamie leans across the table to meet the blonde’s bright blue eyes, “Rebecca is fine. That is all that matters.”

“Thank you.” said Dani with the utmost sincerity.

“Don’t mention it.” replied Jamie.

“Did you get a look at the attacker?” inquired Dani.

Jamie breaths out an exasperated sigh, “No. They were wearing their hood over their baseball cap. All I know is they were tall.”

_ And had glowing eyes. And bat-like fangs. And smelled of blood. And are possibly a vampire. _

“But, if the ol’ bobby needs a statement, I will give them one. Hopefully, I can just pop in and out.” her leg bounces anxiously underneath the table with the occasional bump from her knee.

Dani observes the brunette’s nervous tick, but figures it best not to touch on the subject yet since they have only known each other a day. An idea suddenly pops into her head, “What are you doing this Saturday night?”

Jamie shrugs her shoulders in response, “Jack shit.”

“Me, Rebecca, and a colleague from work, but who I also see as a big sister, we are all going bowling Saturday night. You should come, Owen too.” she suggested with a hopeful smile.

“Uh-sure. I will have to check a few things over with Owen first.”

Dani pulls out her phone from the pocket of her denim jacket and slides it across the table, “Would you mind entering your number so I can text you the details?”

_ Why would I mind giving a beautiful woman my phone number? _

“Sure, no prob.” Jamie punches in her number and slides the phone back across the table before picking up her bags of food and hot chocolate. “I need to go, but I will see you Saturday.” she maneuvers awkwardly out of her seat and gives the doctor a two finger salute whilst holding her bags to the amusement of the blonde.

Jamie is barely out the door of the coffee shop when her phone buzzes in her pocket. She shuffles the items of food in her arms and retrieves her phone to find a text from Dani so she can store the blonde’s number in her phone, along with a smiley face emoji.

_ What a loveable dork. _

* * *

Later that evening at St. James’ Hospital, a young female nurse who works the nightshift, enters the women’s locker room to change into her scrubs. She dumps her handbag on the long wooden bench situated in front of a row of lockers. She fumbles around the inside of her bag as she tries to find her locker key amongst her belongings when the sound of someone entering the room alerts her, figuring it is one of her colleagues. Except, it is a young woman who she does not recognise. The woman in question has long, curly brown hair that reaches down to her shoulders. Her bright red lipstick is pronounced by her fairly pale skin. She is clothed in a black, long, belted wrap overcoat accompanied by black, high heeled boots and she is carrying a portable cooler.

“Are you new?” questioned the nurse.

“Why yes, dear.” the mysterious woman places the cooler on the bench and slowly saunters towards the nurse, “I am the new transfer.”

“Welcome to St. James’ newbie,” greeted the nurse, “where did you transfer from?”

“New England.”

The nurse’s face beams after hearing that piece of knowledge, “My grandpa lives in New England. What part are you from?”

“None that concerns you.” the mysterious brunette pounces forward at lightning speed, grabbing and holding the woman firmly by her arms - placed at her sides. The nurse quivers in fear when she perceives the two pointy fangs protruding out of the other woman’s mouth. Her grip is way too strong for the nurse to escape whereas the mysterious woman sniffs her neck but she turns her head away in distaste. “Ew, O negative.”

Her greyish blue eyes shift to purple as she holds eye contact with the nurse, putting her into a trance. “You shall relinquish the key to your locker over to me. In addition, you shall grant me possession of your keycard.” she commanded slowly and firmly, prompting the nurse to do as she ordered - mindlessly rummaging through her bag until she yanks out her locker key and keycard which she hands to the other woman.

She pushes the nurse back slightly to gain access to her locker. She unlocks it to discover to her horror, bright pink scrubs with cartoon cats printed on them. “You have got to be fucking kidding me?” she rolls her eyes and snatches the scrubs off the hook. She averts her gaze back to the nurse, “Get in the locker.”

The nurse complies except she is moving at a pace that the other woman deems too slow.

“I said get in the fucking locker!” she grabs the nurse by the face and shoves her into the locker, “If anyone asks why you happen to be in there you will simply respond with you are an incompetant cow.” she slams the locker shut and she begrudgingly gets changed into the scrubs. She ties her hair back into a bun before concealing it under a scrub cap and picking up her cooler as she exits the changing room.

She navigates through the maze of corridors, keeping her head down as she walks past hospital staff until she arrives at her destination.

The blood bank.

The security guard stationed outside spots her as she approaches the room, stepping out to block her path with a hand raised. “Excuse me, nurse. I need to see your keycard.”

“But, of course.” she flashes the guard the stolen keycard that is now clipped to the chest pocket of her top.

He squints his eyes as he studies the photo on the keycard, his gaze shifting back and forth between the photo and the woman before him. “That looks nothing like you. Miss, I am going to need to see some form of identification.”

She rolls her eyes out of irritation before they start glowing purple, “How about you let me pass?” her suggestion earns a nod of the head from the guard, “Good boy.” she taps him on the cheek mockingly. She inhales his scent but turns her face in disapproval, “Where are all the O positives?” She scans the keycard which grants her access and she slithers into the refrigerated room, “Most common blood type my arse.”

She sets down the cooler in the centre of the room and begins ransacking the blood supplies, except only the blood packs labelled ‘AB negative’ which she stores in the cooler along with the odd pack of O positive. She seals the cooler and exits the room.

Her eyes again glow purple as she gazes into the guard’s eyes, “I was never here.” she observes the can of mace on his gunbelt, “After ten minutes have passed, spray yourself in the face with pepper spray.” she walks off with a mischievous smirk on her face.

“This blood will serve well for my master.”


	3. "Something Wicked This Way Comes"

**A Year Ago**

A constant sound of a single drop of some kind of undecipherable liquid falling, echoing in Jamie’s ears is the first thing she hears when she slowly regains consciousness, along with an incessant beep. Similar to that of a heart rate monitor. Her eyelids flutter open, but she swiftly shields her green eyes from the overhead fluorescent light, finding it exceedingly bright. She keeps her eyes firmly shut as she catches her bearings. Her senses go into overdrive. Her nose twitches from the overwhelming and bitter smell of antiseptic with underlying tones of soaps and cleaners. The scent of lemons from the cleaners most offending to her nose. However, she can detect the aroma of sunflowers which is quite peculiar considering you really have to get up close and waft the flower to catch a whiff of its subtle fragrance.

_ “Do you have a rough idea how long it will take her to recover from her injuries?” _

_ Owen? _

“Hey,” she croaked from spending many hours unconscious, “Owen, mate. Could you do something about the light?”

Except, there is no response.

_ “Mr. Sharma, we will know more once she comes around from the anesthesia. We will keep you informed.” _

_ A woman? A doctor maybe. She sounds posh. Well-spoken. _

“Hey!” repeated Jamie, but in agitation at being ignored, “I’m right here!” She opens her eyes, squinting them due to the light, to find herself in an empty hospital room.

Her being the only occupant. In a hospital bed. The entirety of her torso wrapped in bandages. Her limbs feel like they are on fire, and oddly enough her teeth ache to shite. She notices the IV drip injected into her arm, explaining the sounds of waterdrops. She is also hooked up to a heart-rate monitor, but what mainly warrants her attention is the vase of sunflowers on the table next to her bed. Not her favourite flower, but it definitely ranks in her top ten. Her hearing slips back into overdrive, picking up every nearby sound.

Chatter between hospital personnel down the halls. Pigeons cooing from their roost outside her window. Even the flickering of a fluorescent light.

All the different noises at varying pitches overwhelms her and everything seems loud. Everything is bright, intrusive. The aroma of the lemon scented cleaner is so intense she swears she can taste it. Her senses go into override causing her heart rate to increase drastically. The incessant, high-pitched beeping of her heart rate monitor adds to her stress and alerts the doctor, who was speaking to Owen. The doctor rushes into the room with her best friend hot on her trail.

“Is she having a heart attack?” asked Owen, his face painted with concern.

“No. Trust me, you would know if she were going into cardiac arrest,” replied the doctor. She is a very calm and collected individual from what Jamie can tell, but then again she is a doctor so she has to be. Except, she has a very warm and welcoming aura to her which does ease the brunette, but not a lot. “She is having a panic attack. After what she has gone through that is understandable.”

“What can we do to help her, Dr. Grose?” Owen watches as the doctor tentatively approaches his friend’s hospital bed.

“Please stand back, Mr. Sharma.” instructed the doctor before she fixes her gaze on her patient, who is hyperventilating. “Jamie, dear?” she said calmly and clearly, “Focus on my voice and do as I say, okay?” she earns a nod of the head from the slightly younger woman.

“Breathe in,” Dr. Grose inhales, prompting Jamie to do the same, and after a few seconds she exhales, “breathe out.” She does this several times with the fiery brunette doing the same.

“In...and out. Good job, Jamie.”

* * *

**Present Day**

“Jamie?” Owen shakes her on the shoulder as she has dozed off, hunched over their kitchen table whilst they were doing more research into vampires. “Jamester?” He shakes her a bit harder, stirring her from her slumber.

“F-Fuck off, Owen.” she murmured. She rubs her eyes as she sits upright - her hand catching the web page that the chef printed out and got stuck on her cheek whilst she napped. She peels the paper off her cheek and scowls at her friend, “Call me that again and I’ll have your guts for garters.” she warned goodnaturedly.

“Duly noted,” he places their recently brewed cups of tea on the table with a chuckle, “but I will have you know, I could have called you by worse names,” he takes a sip of his tea with a devious glint in his eye, “or to be more specific,  _ a  _ worse name.”

Jamie narrows her green eyes at the chef playfully, “And, you know if you call me by  _ that  _ name, you will see firsthand how skilled with a rusty bread knife I can be.” she replied, smirking impishly.

He clears his throat and takes a seat at the table where he purposely crosses his legs, “I don’t doubt your skill.” he pulls his laptop closer to him and taps his touchpad to open one of his many tabs, “while you were napping I took the liberty of identifying the logo on the keyring you found.”

Her face instantly perks up from that bit of information, “Did you find anything?” she asked, gazing at him hopefully.

“Voila.” Owen turns his laptop around, the screen displaying a webpage with the logo from the keyring. “I googled the motto inscribed on the keyring. It is Latin and translates to ‘Old Testament and New Testament.’”

Jamie leans across the table to study the webpage leading her brows to furrow when she discovers the source of the logo. “Princeton University?” she turns her attention to her roommate, “Sooo, we are looking for an Ivy League vampire?” she questioned with mirth.

“It doesn’t really narrow their identity,” he breathes out a sigh before continuing, “we have no idea if they were past or are current alumni. Not to mention, thousands of students attend the university every year.”

“Great, we’ve got nothing.” she said sardonically. Her eyes scan the open books on the table, “Did you least get something from these?”

“Not much,” he stated ruefully, “we got these books specifically for information on werewolves, and on the internet it is hard to separate fact from fiction.”

“Alright, so let’s get books on vampires.” she suggested, “Where did you get these from?” She picks up one of the books.

“I located occult bookstores in the New York City area on Google Maps and visited a few of them on my day off.” he replied.

“Which ones?” she questioned, “Can you write them down?”

“Of course,” Owen turns his laptop back around and opens Google Maps, “you are not going to shakedown bookstore owners, are you?” he said in amusement.

“No, Owen.” Jamie fixes him a firm look, “I’m not a barbarian.”

“I have seen your eating habits.” he muttered to himself, earning a glare from the brunette.  


* * *

“Did you hear what happened to Darla last night?” asked Dani’s close friend and colleague; Hannah Grose. The two women are seated on a couch in the doctor’s lounge whilst they enjoy their lunch break. Hannah is the leading surgeon at the hospital and she mentors the blonde whenever she needs medical advice. Dani sees her as a trusted confidant and an older sister after becoming good friends with the other woman during medical school. They frequently hang out during lunch breaks and for after work drinks.

“No, what happened?” inquired Dani, leaning forward with interest.

“It was one of the most peculiar things. One of the nurses found her locked in her own locker this morning,” replied Hannah with a raised eyebrow, “whenever asked what happened she says she is an incompetent cow.” she stares at the other woman perplexed.

“That is odd.”

“Except, that was not the only weird thing to happen last night.” she mentioned. Her baffled expression not leaving her face, whereas the young blonde is intrigued in what the older woman has to say. “Jeff, who works security, sprayed himself with pepper spray and a reasonable amount of blood has been misplaced from the blood bank.”

“Sounds like a weird night.” commented Dani. She fiddles with the cardboard label on her styrofoam cup of coffee in thought, “Did security check the cameras in case the blood was stolen?”

“Yes, except nothing appeared out of the ordinary on the security camera footage.” Hannah shrugs her shoulders halfheartedly, “It is probably an oversight. Nevertheless, I will be keeping a watchful eye on the supplies in future, just in case.”

Dani hums in agreement before she remembers about their get together at the bowling alley on Saturday night. “Oh, I forgot to mention. Is it okay if my friend joins us for bowling tomorrow night?”

Hannah quirks an eyebrow at the blonde’s question, “Friend?” she probed with a coy smile.

“Yeah, she helped me and Rebecca move into our new place. Also, she was the one who fended off Rebecca’s attacker.”

“Oh, I have to meet her now.” she stated.

Dani’s whole face brightens up with excitement, “You will love her, Hannah. She has this rough exterior but underneath I can tell she is a sweet and selfless person. She is also very funny. Dry British humour.” her blue eyes widen at that fact, “Oh yeah, she is British just like you. I swear I am a magnet to Brits.”

“She sounds lovely. I look forward to meeting her tomorrow night.” replied Hannah with sincerity.

“She might be bringing a male friend.” Dani waggles her eyebrows in a comical manner, “So, fingers crossed for you.”

Hannah rolls her eyes at the younger woman, “You are insufferable,” her lips twitch into a genuine smile at the blonde, “but I love you.”

* * *

Saturday night, Jamie and Owen stroll towards the bowling alley at a leisurely pace. Dani had texted Jamie the details and the pair had been engaging in late night texting until their group hangout, just friendly banter with a little bit of underlying flirting. However, Jamie is slightly anxious about meeting the blonde’s other friend, hoping she gets the seal of approval, but also because she is properly introducing Dani to Owen. They should get on like a house on fire but Jamie does not want to tempt fate.

Jamie holds her arm out in front of the chef just as he is about to open the door, “Before we go in, you better promise you’re not going to act like a prat and embarrass me.”

Owen scoffs in mock outrage. “I would never,” he pushes open the door and turns to face his friend with a mischievous smile, “maybe just a little.”

“Git.” breathed out Jamie under her breath.

The duo approach the main desk where a member of staff informs them of their lane number that their party is booked under and after trading their footwear for the ugly alley shoes, they head towards their designated lane. Dani and her friends are already at the lane. Dani is picking out an appropriate ball on the row of shelves while Rebecca is preoccupied with entering their names into the machine whereas the blonde’s other friend is nowhere to be seen. Jamie reasons she must be in the ladie’s room.

“Hi,” Jamie awkwardly waves to signal their arrival and the other two woman rush over to greet the pair, “sorry we’re a bit late. The subway was hectic.”

“The subways are a nightmare on the weekends.” remarked Rebecca, exasperation written on her face. “I hate being called into the office on a Saturday.”

Jamie notices the silk scarf the law intern is adorning - probably to cover up the still evident bruises. In addition, there is a slight croak in her voice.

_ I’m gonna throttle the arsehole’s neck and see how they like it. _

“How are you feeling?” asked Jamie, out of concern for the other woman.

“I am perfectly splendid,” she replied brightly, “more so when we collar the bastard.” She surprises the brunette by giving her an appreciative hug. “Thank you for showing up when you did.”

Jamie stiffens at the physical display of friendliness. She is not accustomed to this kind of behaviour. Whenever her and Owen show gratitude towards the other it is through a pat on the back or a nod of the head, whilst Nadine displays it through gift giving.

Jamie tentatively pats the other woman on the back in response, “Don’t mention it.” she peels away from the embrace and her eyes shift to Dani, which proves to be her downfall. All the air gets sucked out of her lungs as she finally gets to witness the young doctor with her golden blonde hair down in all its voluminous glory. Jamie’s jaw nearly drops to the fall, but she immediately closes it so as not to draw unwanted attention to herself.

Owen slings an arm around his best friend to her annoyance and pats her on the shoulder, “Jamie is one of a kind.”

Jamie ducks under his arm to escape from his hold and approaches Dani, “You alright, Poppins?”

Dani raises an eyebrow at the nickname with a smile, “Poppins?” she questioned.

“Sorry, it just kinda slipped out. You mentioned you were a nanny and when I was helping you move your stuff a couple of days ago, I spied a Mary Poppins book in one of the opened boxes.” Jamie finishes her explanation with a nervous laugh, but swiftly holds up her hands defensively, “I wasn’t snooping I swear. The box was just lying there wide open.”

“It is okay, Jamie.” reassured Dani and she bumps the brunette’s shoulder playfully with her’s, “And FYI, I like the nickname.” the blonde winks at her before sauntering towards Owen to greet him, leaving Jamie again flabbergasted.

_ Is she flirting? _

Jamie mentally shakes herself from her stupor and joins the group to find the two other women in a fit of giggles from Owen’s, in Jamie’s opinion, shite puns.

_ I swear he gets his punchlines from the wrappers of a Penguin. _

Owen perceives his friend re-joining the group, “How about we put a  _ pin  _ in this for later, and have a  _ ball?” _

Jamie rolls her green eyes at the chef’s antics, except she is loving the sound of the blonde’s laughter. It is music to her ears. She can definitely tolerate her friend’s bad puns if they cause this sort of reaction from Dani.

Jamie’s eyes scan around the bowling alley, “Where is your friend?”

“She had to use the ladie’s room because  _ someone,”  _ Dani playfully glared at Rebecca in a scolding manner, “spilt soda on her.”

“I managed to get most of it out. However, it is in need of a serious wash when I get home.” said an eerily familiar voice that garners the curly-haired brunette’s attention.

Jamie’s eyes widen in shock when they land on Dani’s friend and colleague; Hannah. The same Hannah who was the doctor who operated on her and patched her up after she was attacked by the werewolf. Small fucking world. She can tell by the expression on the older woman’s face she can recognise Jamie too.

“Jamie?” Hannah greets her with a warm handshake. “It is so good to see you again. I never forget a face. You are looking a lot better than when I last saw you.”

“It’s good to see you too, Dr. Grose.” replied Jamie nervously, retracting her hand.

Dani glances back and forth between the two women, “Hannah, you treated Jamie?” she questioned.

“Do you not remember, Dani?” said Hannah, astounded. “Jamie was the patient you helped me operate on about a year ago. She was attacked by a feral dog.”

Dani’s gaze averts back to the feisty brunette, whose face she studies intricately until it clicks. She knew the other woman’s face looked familiar, but she did not realise at the time because when she first saw Jamie, her face had been covered in blood and nearly drained of all colour. Her hair was matted from the blood due to lying in a pool of her own blood, and her honest olive green eyes had been closed. She had helped Hannah operate on the brunette since at the time it was hectic in the hospital and they were short staffed. She assisted Hannah by passing her the necessary utensils and keeping a vigilant eye on Jamie’s heart rate on the monitor. She even helped apply a majority of the stitches as Hannah had to help another patient.

“Oh my god,” murmured Dani to herself. “I knew I recognised you from somewhere.” she said softly.

_ Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Please don’t give me the sympathetic looks and treat me as a victim. I had enough of that at group therapy. _

Images of the attack flash through her mind. Razor-sharp teeth sinking into her flesh. Claws piercing her skin. Brown savage eyes leering back at her. Jamie slowly clenches her hand into a fist, except more forcefully than previous before straightening out her fingers. She does this several times, contemplating on what to do or what to say. However, the loud ringing of one of the arcade machines startles her, causing her to wince due to the sound piercing her sensitive ears. She clenches her teeth in irritation and everything suddenly seems loud. Children laughing in the arcade area. Bowling pins clattering to the slick hardwood floor in succession after being struck by bowling balls.  _ Careless Whisper _ is playing on the overhead speakers and is ironically loud to the brunette. She can feel her heart pounding against her chest.

Jamie clears her throat and nods her head in the direction of the entrance, “I’m gonna pop out for a quick smoke.” she does not wait for a response from the others and hastily retreats through the front doors. She turns into the side alley where she quickly pops an unlit cigarette between her lips with shaky hands. She flexes her fingers, urging her nerves to ease so she can light her cigarette without fear of setting the alleyway on fire.

A burly, bearded man meanders down the alley - fixing her a disapproving look after he spots the cigarette hanging out of her mouth. “How about instead of inhaling those death sticks, you do everyone a favour and start vaping?” he gruffed out as he passed her.

_ The fucking audacity. _

Jamie understands smoking is not beneficial towards your health, except she is immune to its negative side effects and will always ask people if they are okay with her lighting up a smoke in their company. She refuses to smoke inside hence why she is smoking in the alley away from pedestrians. Not to mention the alley is not even that narrow and she is leaning back against the wall giving the man ample space to avoid the smoke, even though her cigarette is not lit.

“Ohhh...go fuck a rubber duck.” retorted Jamie, who is really not in the mood for some random man’s snark.

The man stops in his tracks and peers over his shoulder to scowl at her but she is serving him such an intense death glare that he promptly faces forward to hurriedly escape the alleyway. Jamie retrieves her lighter from the pocket of her black, denim sherpa jacket and lights her cigarette when Dani slowly ambles up the alley and leans against the opposite wall. The blonde studies Jamie’s anxious behaviour as she takes a long drag of her cigarette. Dani knows a coping mechanism when she sees one. Jamie is still subtly clenching and unclenching her fist by her side.

“You mentioned you like to take photographs of flowers,” said Dani softly, “what flowers are in bloom during fall?”

Jamie is taken aback by the question, but she still answers, “Uh, well…,” she furrows her brows as she thinks, “crocuses, dahlias, begonias, irises, chrysanthemums; I believe, magnolias, delphiniums, also sunflowers...,” her voice trails off at the latter and her gaze drifts to the doctor when a thought occurs to her, “When I woke up in the hospital there was a vase of sunflowers by my bed. I asked Owen where they came from and he told me one of the doctors must’ve put them there. Was that you?”

Dani bites her bottom lip out of nervousness, “Y-Yes. I saw them in the window of a florist and figured they would look nice in your room for when you woke up. I didn’t want to give you some generic ‘get well soon flowers’.” she finishes her explanation with a timid smile.

Jamie is touched by the sentiment and the corner of her mouth twitches into a smirk, “Thank you. For the sunflowers and,” she waves her hand between them, “for this.”

Dani responds with a soft smile, “I suffered from anxiety when I was a kid and I still get bouts of anxiety, but whenever I get triggered into having an attack I list US states and their capitals.”

Jamie decides not to broach the cause of Dani’s anxiety since the blonde has been respectful of her privacy, she reasons it is only fair to reciprocate the favour until Dani feels comfortable openly sharing that with her.

Jamie puts out her cigarette and heads back down the alleyway, “Shall we bowl then?” She tilts her head in the direction of the bowling alley and Dani follows her back inside the building where the rest of their group are waiting for them in their lane. “Sooo, are we all playing singles or are we gonna be in teams?”

“Is everything okay?” asked Hannah.

Jamie and Dani both nod their heads in response.

“I’m surprised no one ran out and chased after you two for wearing alley shoes outside.” pointed out Rebecca.

Jamie glances at the bored out of their mind, male employee stationed at the main desk, “Yeah, cause they're extra vigilant at this place.” she remarked with sarcasm.

“How about we play in teams?” suggested Owen, “Me and Jamie versus you lovely ladies?” he aims a sly smile at the surgeon, “Unless the stunning Hannah Grose would like to be on my team?”

Hannah rolls her eyes at the chef’s shenanigans, “Me, Dani, and Rebecca against you and Jamie is perfectly fine.”

Jamie nudges the chef with her elbow goodnaturedly, “Leave the poor woman alone, Owen,” she then points a warning finger at him, “and don’t gobble if someone bowls a turkey.”

“But, aren’t you guys at a disadvantage?” stated Dani as she glances between the best friends, “You are a player short.”

“Have you considered that maybe you guys are at a disadvantage?” said Jamie with a cocky smirk.

“Jamie is quite the bowler,” added Owen with pride, “we used to bowl frequently during college.”

“Ooooh, you can talk the talk,” Rebecca crosses her arms across the chest and studies the duo in mock seriousness, “but, can you walk the walk?”

“Let us play a clean game, shall we?” Hannah fixes the others a firm look before sauntering off to pick out a bowling ball.

The group proceed with their game. It turns out that Dani and Rebecca are pretty nifty bowlers themselves, both frequently getting spares. Hannah is not too bad herself, she is avoiding the gutters and has bowled a few spares. Owen, when he is not goofing around, is a good bowler and has so far scored all spares. Jamie on the other hand, is an exceptional bowler. Owen was not chatting shit. However, this is the first time she has gone bowling after her ordeal so she has to restrain herself from hurling a ball through the wall. Like Owen, she has scored all spares so far which is pretty good since she is still working out the kinks with her enhanced strength. They are in the seventh frame when things started getting more competitive, but still with an air of friendliness. Dani is up to bowl next and she has noticed on many occasions how the feisty brunette’s gaze lingers on her legs and sometimes...rear since her skintight jeans perfectly showcase her curves. Dani is not one for dirty tactics, except it is not necessarily dirty if it is flirting, because she does like the other woman. Quite a lot in fact. She has not managed to stop thinking about Jamie since they met only a couple of days ago. So, with that reasoning, Dani decides to try her luck.

Dani approaches the ball dispenser where she purposely bends down, lower than necessary, to retrieve her ball. Smiling to herself in quiet victory when she perceives a pair of olive green eyes observing her behind.

“Fuck me.” muttered Jamie under her breath and she promptly clears her throat.

Dani slots her fingers into the holes of the ball before swinging her arm back and throwing the ball down the lane with a bit of seductive flair. The ball speeds down the lane and knocks down all ten pins just as the chorus of  _ Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-a-Lot  _ blares on the overhead speakers. Dani celebrates by dancing along to the song leading Owen and Rebecca to join in with the chef sandwiched between the two women.

_ I thought this was a family place. _

Hannah sighs at the trio’s display whereas Jamie cannot help but chuckle at the display.

The game eventually finishes with Dani, Rebecca, and Hannah as the victors, but Jamie and Owen conceded defeat. They are not sore losers, except Jamie did playfully flip them bird when Rebecca won them the game. The group exchanged their alley shoes back for their footwear before heading outside where Owen began trying to hail the three women a taxi whilst Jamie and Dani engaged in a friendly conversation.

“That was quite the game,” commented Jamie with amusement, “I can’t remember the last time I had that much fun.” She is speaking the truth. Since the incident she has mainly been a ‘grumpy bastard’ according to her.

“We should do it again sometime,” proposed Dani, gaining a nod of the head in approval from the brunette. She narrows her blue eyes teasingly at the other woman, “why do I get the feeling you were holding back?”

Jamie shrugs her shoulders, “Maybe I was having an off game,” she replied, but the blonde is not buying it. She leads Dani to the taxi that Owen managed to hail and holds the door open for the other woman as she manoeuvres into the vehicle, “but, we should definitely do it again sometime.” she smiles at the blonde who responds with her trademark smile as Jamie closes the door.

However, the group are unaware of a pair of glowing, amber eyes studying them from the rooftop of the building across the street.


	4. "I Had To Use My Instincts in Order To Survive"

_ Jamie is roused from her sleep by a set of soft fingers toying with the hair at the nape of her neck. She blinks awake to discover two things. Firstly, she was not in her own bed. That she was certain of. From what she can deduce, she is laying under a pink, flowery duvet. A duvet she recognises from when she helped Dani move into her apartment, which brings her to the second thing. She can feel a weight laying behind her which would explain the fingers. They are snuggled up to the brunette’s back, their breath warm on her neck and tickling her skin, and judging by the familiar bedsheets, it can only be one person. _

_ How the fuck did I manage that? _

_ Jamie blindly reaches behind her to feel more of the blonde, except her hand comes into contact with something warm and wet. She retracts her hand to find the majority of her hand painted in deep red. She squeezes her eyes shut and curses under her breath. _

_ Fuck. Please be a fucked up dream. _

_ She tentatively rolls over to her other side to face the other woman. Her eyes fly open to observe to her complete horror; the woman of her literal dreams, laying in blood soaked sheets whilst blood pours out of a wound on the apex of her neck and shoulder - similar to the bite Jamie sustained a year ago. Even more startling, the blase manner in which the golden blonde is laying on the bed. Dani is propped up on one arm whilst she rests her chin on the palm of her hand, smiling coyly at the brunette. _

_ What the fuck is going on? _

_ Jamie again squeezes her eyes shut, hoping it is just a really fucked up nightmare. She opens her eyes to still find the blonde in the same position as before, covered in blood and bleeding severely out of her neck - coating her pyjamas in crimson. However, they are both no longer laying on the bed, instead to add more confusion, they are laying on the floor of the basement in Jamie and Owen’s house. _

_ Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! _

_ Jamie reaches a hand out to Dani, but her arm is suddenly yanked back by a chain. Her eyes shift down to her wrist to reveal a metal shackle clasped around it. She lifts her other wrist to find it is the same story. She tugs on her restraints, but the chains attached are secured tightly to the wall. _

_ “Dani?” she gasped, desperately trying to touch the other woman. _

_ Dani is laying on the floor unfazed, studying her as the pool of blood surrounding the blonde slowly trickles towards Jamie. _

_ “Dani?” repeated Jamie, her breathing ragged from fear, “Who did this to you?” _

_ Dani scoffs, “You.” she stated as if it is common knowledge. _

_ Jamie shakes her head profusely as her eyes begin to water with tears, “No! No! No!” she brings her hands up to her face, except they are covered entirely with dark brown fur. Her fingers are elongated with razor-sharp claws protruding from her fingertips that are dripping with what she assumes is the blonde’s blood. _

_ Jamie looks back at Dani, where on the wall behind her is ‘MONSTER’ scrawled in blood. “NO!” she yelled in anguish. However, the glimmer of her reflection in the pool of blood catches her attention. She peers down into the pool where a wolf-like face, complete with two pointy ears and snout, snarls back at her showcasing blood tinged fangs. _

* * *

Jamie jerks awake, shooting upright into a sitting position on her bed. She is perspiring like crazy and panting heavily due to that fucked up nightmare. Her eyes swiftly scan her hands and arms - sighing in relief at the lack of fur covering her body. She balls her sheets into her fists whilst she tries to steady her breathing. She falls back against the mattress, breathing in and out slowly. She mentally starts listing spring blooming flowers until her breathing pattern returns to normal.

_ Cheers, Poppins. _

The corners of her mouth quirk into a smile at the thought of the radiant and kind blonde, except if that dream has taught her anything, she cannot under no circumstances have a romantic relationship with the woman. No matter how much it pains her. She simply cannot risk the woman’s safety and she would never forgive herself if anything happened to the young doctor. Particularly if herself is the cause.

_ Just friends. _

Jamie breathes out a dejected sigh before peeling the sweat laden sheets from off her skin and sliding out of bed. After getting washed and dressed into a simple plaid shirt and jeans, she heads downstairs into the kitchen where she boils the kettle to make herself a cup of tea.

Owen is sitting at the kitchen table where he is focused on writing a shopping list for her since it is her day off, “Good morning, Jamie.”

“Back at ya.” she gruffed, leaning back against the counter with her arms crossed.

Owen can decipher that she has not had a good night's sleep, but he also knows when not to broach the subject so he decides to change the subject. “Have you spoken to Dani since Saturday night?” he probed.

“No,” Jamie huffed with a roll of her eyes, “so you can drop it.”

“I was only asking.” he muttered.

Jamie fixes him with a hard stare, “No, you want to know if I have been chatting with her because you want to play matchmaker.” she pours hot water into her mug and waits for her tea to brew before turning back to face him, “I have a newsflash for you, Sharma. It ain’t gonna happen.”

“I can understand your concerns,”

“Concerns?” she butted in with disbelief, “For one, I am a creature of the night!”

Owen furrows his thick eyebrows in thought, “Isn’t a creature of the night another word for a prostitute?” he pointed out.

Her face contorts at that piece of information, “Is it?” she mentally clears her head and continues, “Nevermind, you know what I mean.”

“I know what you mean,” assured Owen in a teasing tone before his expression shifts to serious, “but, you have been a werewolf for almost a year now and you have not once harmed me.” he mentioned. “Scared me shitless a couple of times, but that’s it.” he added to lighten the mood.

“It is different with you,” Jamie adds the milk to her tea before joining him at the table, “you know what and what not to do. You have spent hours studying werewolves in books. You know my triggers.”

“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be happy. I did and do all those things because I am your best friend. I would do anything for you...and I think if you meet the right  _ someone,  _ they would do all those things too,” Owen explained with a warm smile, except Jamie scoffs at the latter. He fiddles with his pen nervously as he resumes speaking, “I have also noticed that a particular blonde was smitten with you at the bowling alley.”

“Don’t pull that thread, Sharma.” warned Jamie.

“I think she deserves the benefit of the doubt. I have no doubt that she is a kind, understanding, intelligent, and loyal person. I haven’t seen you that happy except whenever she was in your presence,” he ignores the green eyed scowl aimed at him and gets up from his seat, “and that is all I am going to say on the matter.” he slides the shopping list across the table to the brunette, “While you are out scouring the occult bookshops, could you pick up these items please?”

“No problem.” she pockets the list and slurps her cup of tea.

Owen grabs his jacket that was hanging on the back of his chair and puts it on, “Remember, get old looking books. The older, the better. Avoid modern looking books. Also, old text. Like Old English.” he mentioned as he leaves the house in a rush.

“Sounds like a barrel of laughs.” she remarked to the empty house.

* * *

Jamie spends the majority of the morning scavenging the occult bookshops Owen had written down while also running a quick errand or two for him. The shops he has listed have taken her nearly all over Brooklyn, having ventured to Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and Bensonhurst. She had opted to use her trusty motorcycle that she had acquired after winning it off a cocky biker during a darts tournament at her local watering hole. It is great at weaving through traffic and maneuvering through narrow streets. Not to mention, she loves the ride. The wind blowing through her curls. It feels exhilarating. She feels free.

She pulls up her motorcycle by the sidewalk of the last bookshop address on the list. She shuts off the engine of her bike and removes her helmet before dismounting the vehicle. She stows the helmet on her bike and adjusts the single strap backpack slung across her back. Her green eyes survey the wooden, hanging sign swinging gently above the door. The sign is engraved with  _ ‘Dorothea’s Occult & Oddities’  _ written in Old English.

_ Old English, that is a good sign. _

Jamie rolls her eyes at herself.

_ No pun intended. Fuck’s sake, Owen. _

Jamie pushes open the shop door with a resounding creak whereas the bell above the door chimes. She peers around the door into the dingy shop to take in her surroundings. The back of the shop is lined with rows of thick bookcases filled with an assortment of old and musty books whilst the front of the store has novelty items on display along with oddly, stationary. The main counter is simply an antique desk with an old fashioned lantern and an electronic till, that appears out of place amongst the antique furniture. She steps deeper into the shop, closing the door behind her as it creaks.

_ That needs some WD40. _

Jamie clears her throat before calling out, “Hello?” she can detect a heartbeat from behind the desk.

The shop owner abruptly pops up from behind the counter, “May I help you?” The owner is an elderly woman. Her long, grey hair draping down her back over her black shawl.

Jamie stares at the shop owner unfazed, “You must be Dorothea?” she assumed.

“You are most correct.” replied Dorothea as she ambles around the desk, “How may I assist you?”

“My friend brought a werewolf book about a while ago and I was wondering,”

Dorothea’s eyes widen when it dawns on her and she interrupts the younger woman, “You must be Mr. Sharma’s friend? The horror writer?”

_ Horror writer? Of fucking course, Owen thought of an elaborate excuse as to why he is buying a book about werewolves. _

Jamie decides to play along as she only wants to get a couple of books and fuck off, “Yep, that’s me. But how did you remember my friend from almost a year ago?” she questioned.

“I have not sold many books about werewolves, and I think I would remember the customer who bought the Lycan Tome. It is a pretty distinctive book. I had it shipped in from Germany,” Dorothea frowns as she observes the bookcases, “not many people seem interested in werewolves lately. Vampires and witches seem to be the big sellers.”

“Now that you mention vampires, I want to include them in my latest book and was hoping you might have something that could give me the best knowledge on them,” Jamie glances around the array of books as she continues wearily, “like origins and characteristics of a basic vampire.”

“I might have just the book,” the elderly woman disappears into the stacks for several moments until she reemerges with an old, medium sized book, “it is quite an old book and a few of the pages are a little worn, but it is well detailed.” She places the book on the counter and positions herself behind the cash register.

“Thank you.” Jamie nods her head in appreciation whilst the shop owner wraps the book in a brown paper bag.

“That will be $5.”

“That’s cheap.” she commented, impressed at the price whilst she hands the older woman a $5 note.

“It is a very old book,” replied Dorothea with a shrug of the shoulders, “also it is not in the ‘best’ of conditions.” she says ‘best’ with air quotation marks.

“Thank you anyway, and I will be sure to tell Owen that you said ‘hi.’”

“Ooh, Mr. Sharma. He is such a sweetheart,” she said dreamily, “a true gentleman. He even complimented my crumpets.”

Jamie freezes on the spot and she widens her eyes at the latter comment, “C-Come again?” she spluttered.

“When he visited it was coming up to lunch time so I offered him a cup of tea and a plate of crumpets, which he rather enjoyed. He spent a good hour here.”

_ Yep, that sounds like Owen. Only he would stop for a tea break with an eccentric bookshop owner. _

“There was a book in here the other day that would have been of interest to you,” mentioned Dorothea prompting the brunette to perk up with interest, “it is similar to the Lycan Tome, but it has detailed knowledge on alleged vampires. It is referred to as the Vampyre Tome. I believe it originated from Romania. Anyway, the book had been left untouched in my store for years, but I managed to get a buyer for it. A bookstore in San Francisco. I do not remember the name.”

“Do you have a record of the purchase?” questioned Jamie, “Like an invoice?”

“No.” she said simply with a shake of the head.

_ How the fuck do you not have a record? _

“Fine,” sighed Jamie. She racks her brain for an alternative, “did you happen to write the name of the shop down?”

“Yes.”

“Do you still have it?”

“No.”

Jamie runs a frustrated hand down her face as she tries not to lose her patience.

“My pet iguana; Charmander, he ate the piece of paper with the address”

She raises an eyebrow at the elderly woman, “You are familiar with Pokemon?”

“What’s a Pokemon?” asked Dorothea in bewilderment before sliding a notepad and pen across the desk, “Jot your number down and if I remember the name, I will give you a call.” She watches Jamie as she writes down a phone number, unbeknownst to her it is actually Owen’s number since the brunette reckons her best friend is better off with dealing with the quirky woman, “I named him Charmander because he is a black spiny-tailed iguana so he looks like he is charred and he kinda looks like a large salamander.”

_ I will let Owen deal with her nonsense. _

“That’s nice,” remarked Jamie, feigning interest. She slides the pad and pen back across the table and stores the book in her backpack. “Thank you again for the book. I’d best be off.” She leaves the store with haste, swiftly mounting her motorcycle and speeding off towards the restaurant.

* * *

Jamie arrives at the restaurant in the early afternoon to drop off Owen’s errands. She ambles into the kitchen to find Nadine by her lonesome whilst she furiously peels a horde of potatoes with a small peeling knife. She glances around the room, curious to the whereabouts of Owen.

“Hey, Naddie,” she removes her backpack and dumps it on a free counter, “where’s Owen?”

“Owen called Claudia to ask how her ankle is doing and when she will be back for work,” she said bitterly, “apparently she was in a tizzy because she needs to take her cat to the vet but she is unable to because of said ankle,” she chops a peeled potato with a little more force than necessary before continuing, “so my considerate brother volunteered to take Buttons to the vet, leaving muggins here to peel the army surplus of potatoes.”

“You want a hand til he gets back?” offered Jamie, gaining a look of skepticism from the sous chef leading the feisty brunette to roll her eyes, “I can’t cook for shite, but I think I’m capable of peeling some measly spuds.” She removes her jacket and places it next to her backpack, unzipping the bag to retrieve the items she picked up for Owen. Her hand clasps around the neck of a bottle of rose water and she yanks it out where Nadine spies a cover of one of the books Jamie brought.

“Vampires?” Nadine’s face lights up with excitement, “I knew you enjoyed the Twilight marathon I forced you and Owen to watch with me.”

“No,” scoffed Jamie and she begins peeling potatoes with a peeler from the counter opposite the other woman, “if anything, those films have taught me what a proper vampire is not.”

“They are proper vampires.” stated Nadine with confidence.

“Vampires do not sparkle under sunlight,” said Jamie firmly. She continues peeling the potatoes when the corner of her mouth twitches into a mischievous smirk, “also...Team Jacob.”

Nadine gasps with outrage, “How dare you?”

Jamie sniggers to herself, but she soon frowns when she perceives the furious manner in which the younger woman is peeling the potatoes with the knife, “Maybe you should watch it with that knife?” she advised.

“Jamie, I come from a long line of Sharmas who were and are highly skilled cooks,” she stated with smugness painted on her face, “I have attended one of the best culinary schools in the city. I think I can manage peeling a potato with a peeling knife.”

However, as soon as Nadine finishes putting her point across, she misjudges where the blade of the knife was and it catches the palm of her left hand. She shrieks in pain, abruptly dropping the knife and potato onto the counter whilst she clutches her hand - a stream of blood trickles out of the cut and down her arm.

“Shit,” hissed Jamie. She hurriedly grabs a first aid kit and tends to the sous chef. She pops the lid open, but she frantically glances at the various medical supplies dumbfounded, “uh...what do I use?”

“How about you just take me to the fucking hospital?” Nadine practically yelled at the clueless brunette.

Jamie can hear the other woman’s heart rate increasing due to her panicked state so she lets the uppity attitude slide and focuses on getting the younger Sharma medical attention. She yanks a tea towel off the rack, securing it around the injured hand and she ushers Nadine out through the back door before retrieving both of their jackets. She rushes outside where Nadine is perched on the back seat of the older woman’s motorcycle and she is wearing the spare helmet.

“Will you be okay hanging onto me with your busted hand?” questioned Jamie, her face conveying concern.

Nadine flips up the visor before replying, “The hospital is only five minutes away by motorcycle. I think I can manage applying a little bit of pressure.”

Jamie sighs in defeat, knowing no one can win an argument with the young sous chef especially when she has her mind set on something. She helps the other woman put on her jacket and she mounts the front seat of the bike - putting on her helmet and setting off towards St. James’ Hospital with Nadine’s arms wound tightly around her waist.

* * *

Jamie is leaning with her back against the wall in the small screening room the nurse led them to, whereas Nadine is sitting on the edge of a checkup bed in the centre of the room whilst they wait for a doctor to see them. They only have to wait a couple of minutes until a doctor enters the room. However, the doctor assigned to Nadine is a very familiar face. A face that has recently been plaguing the brunette’s dreams.

_ Of fucking course. _

“Jamie?” Dani is clothed in her work attire, which entails scrubs in a dull, greyish blue, except she is wearing a mauve long sleeved tee underneath her top to add a splash of colour to her otherwise bland uniform. “Hi,” she greeted with a surprised smile while she is holding a clipboard with the form the brunette filled in for the younger woman when they arrived at the emergency room attached to it.

“Hey, Poppins,” Jamie pushes herself off the wall and stands next to her injured friend, who she nods her head in the direction of, “this is Owen’s not-so-little sis; Nadine,” she then waves her arm in a sweeping gesture towards the young doctor, “Naddie, I would like you to meet Dani.”

“So you are the infamous Dani?” Nadine narrows her eyes at the fiery brunette with a coy smile playing on her lips, “Jamie cannot seem to stop talking about you.”

In truth, Jamie has not spared too much details about Dani to the younger woman due to her being quite the gossip. Jamie knows if she shows any inkling of interest in the radiant blonde in front of Nadine, she will never hear the end of it and the younger Sharma will be inclined to play matchmaker. Also, Nadine is a notorious eavesdropper and she more than likely overheard a conversation between Jamie and Owen while at work.

“Quiet.” whispered Jamie through clenched teeth.

Dani browses through the filled out form, holding up the clipboard to cover her mouth so Jamie cannot see that she is biting her lip in giddiness at the thought of the brunette talking about her to her friends. She clears her throat before speaking, “Did you clean the cut?”

Jamie and Nadine share a nervous glance at each other.

“I will take that as a no.” said the young doctor with an airy laugh. She drags a stool over and she removes the blood stained tea towel from the younger woman’s hand before she begins cleaning the wound with antiseptic.

“Will I need stitches?” inquired Nadine with a worried expression, “Can I still work until my hand heals?”

“Naddie, let the poor woman work.”

“It is fine,” Dani waves it off with a dismissive hand and she starts applying butterfly stitches to the cut, “it is not deep enough for traditional stitches so I will apply steri-strips and I will wrap it in a bandage. However, I do recommend you rest your hand for a couple of days and avoid applying pressure to it.”

Nadine pouts at the feisty brunette, “This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t distract me.”

“No,” argued Jamie defiantly, “this wouldn’t have happened if you had used a bloody potato peeler.”

“I have used a peeling knife countless times with no incident,” mentioned Nadine out of irritation, “but you happen to walk into the kitchen and what do you know?”

Dani smiles to herself in amusement as the two women continue to squabble whilst she wraps a bandage around Nadine’s palm. After she has finished wrapping the younger woman’s hand, she advises on how to clean the wound and when to take off the strips. She even gives Nadine a leaflet on wound care in case the younger woman forgets her advice and she hands back the tea towel, which Jamie folds into her jacket pocket.

“How’s the hand?” asked Jamie.

“Throbbing.” replied Nadine with disdain evident in her voice.

“Thanks again, Poppins.” Jamie nods appreciatively at the blonde. She is enjoying the other woman’s company so she opts for a bit of small talk to prolong their encounter, “How is Rebecca?”

“She is much better, thank you,” she busies herself by putting away the medical supplies whilst she chats to the brunette, “she is back at working at the office. She is currently working on a big case with Mr. Wingrave so she will not be home until late.”

Jamie ponders for several moments at that tidbit of information. Even though she set a rule for herself not to pursue a romantic relationship with Dani Clayton, she cannot fight the urge to invite the perky blonde back to her place for dinner. However, it does not have to be romantic, she realises. It is just a friend offering another friend some company and light dinner conversation so they do not spend the evening being a Billy No-Mates. Besides, Owen will be there, so it is technically not a date.

“Say, Dani?” said Jamie to arouse the doctor’s attention, “instead of being on your lonesome for the majority of the night, would you like to have an Owen special home cooked dinner at my place?” she gazes at the other woman expectantly, anticipating rejection.

“That would be lovely.” replied Dani with her trademark smile.

“Really?” questioned Jamie, taken aback.

“What time should I come over?”

“Six?”

“Great, I finish at four.”

Nadine observes the two women with a knowing smile until Jamie ushers her out of the room as they leave the hospital. However, the brunette is thrumming with nervous energy for the rest of the afternoon at the prospect of having dinner with the beautiful blonde.

* * *

The following evening, Jamie is setting the kitchen table for dinner. She has changed out of her plaid shirt and exchanged them for a black, button down shirt that has flowers on vines subtly embroidered along the shoulders that stretch along the clavicle. She finishes placing cutlery next to the plates and swiftly glances at her watch to check the time. 17: 58. Meanwhile, Owen is watching his best friend’s frantic movements over his shoulder with a hint of amusement whilst he cooks dinner.

“I thought you had your mind set on not dating Dani.” he mentioned as he stirs a pot of creamy, cheese sauce on the stove.

“This is not a date, but a dinner with a mate,” she stated firmly, ignoring his mischievous smile. She leans back against the counter next to him with her arms crossed, “also, if it were a date, which it is not, I wouldn't have  _ you  _ there to spoil the mood.”

“If it is not a date, then why are you wearing your fancy shirt?” questioned Owen with mirth dancing on his lips.

Jamie is just about to retort when the doorbell suddenly chimes, signalling the blonde’s arrival. “Sod off,” she huffed at the chef, and she rushes towards the front door - her sock clad feet sliding a little against the slick hardwood flooring as she approaches the door. She yanks open the door to reveal Dani - her trademark radiant smile plastered on her face, her voluminous golden locks draping her shoulders. She is modelling a pastel pink sweater and light blue skinny jeans accompanied by a pair of white Vans.

_ Beautiful, as always. _

“Poppins, right on time.” commented Jamie with an impressed smirk, and she holds open the door allowing the other woman to cross the threshold into the house.

Dani steps further into the house, taking in the decor and furnishings which she finds pleasantly warm and inviting. More photographs that Jamie has taken are framed and adorn the walls in the hallway and living room. Aside from photos of various landmarks across New York City, there are a few pictures of Jamie and Owen but they were all taken predominately at the restaurant. The odd potted plant is situated on a shelf or table - any viable flat surface. Most likely the brunette’s influence.

“You have a lovely home,” said Dani sincerely. She pulls out a bottle of white wine from her tote bag and hands the bottle to the other woman, “I thought it would be rude if I showed up empty handed.”

“You didn’t have to,” Jamie reads the label prompting her to nod her head in approval, “Pinot Grigio, nice.” she smirks at the bottle, and leads the blonde towards the kitchen table.

Dani observes the chef as he slides a filled baking dish into the oven, “Good evening, Owen.”

“Good evening to you too, Dani,” he greets the young doctor with a charming smile after shutting the oven door, “I am glad you can join us for dinner.”

“It smells divine,” she complimented whilst she takes a seat next to Jamie at the kitchen table, “what is on the menu?”

“My famous macaroni and cheese with homemade garlic bread and a side of salad.” replied Owen with a wink.

“Trust me, you haven’t lived until you have had a bite of his mac ‘n’ cheese.” chimed in Jamie, pouring the alcohol into three wine glasses.

“Ooooh...it must be good if it is earning high praise from Jamie.” remarked Dani in a teasing tone. She has only known the other woman for roughly a week, but at the bowling alley she noticed how the brunette and her best friend playfully rib on each other.

“He has his uses.” quipped Jamie.

The trio continue having friendly conversation and the occasional teasing until dinner is served. Jamie devours her plate, displaying that voracious appetite where Dani and Owen consume their food at a reasonable pace whilst talking about their college experiences. Including the wild parties the blonde’s hosts engaged in. Owen even drops in an embarrassing story starring the infamous Jamie Taylor, that has Dani giggling uncontrollably in her seat. Jamie shoots her best friend with a glare, except it holds no malice since she loves the sound of other woman’s melodic laughter. After dinner, Owen clears the table and begins serving dessert at the kitchen counter while Jamie and Dani converse about keg parties.

“Why am I not surprised you took part in a keg stand?” questioned Dani through her laughter of disbelief.

“Several!” called out Owen over his shoulder.

“ _ Someone  _ had to put those bloody annoying frat boys in their places.” stated Jamie in her defence, prompting more laughter from the blonde.

Owen places their bowls of rocky road ice cream in front of them with a gleeful smile, “Enjoy ladies.”

They both thank the chef and Jamie spies him retrieving the laptop from the coffee table, leading her to quirk an eyebrow with intrigue. She observes him from the corner of her eye as he carries the laptop under one arm and holds his own bowl of ice cream with one hand.

“Where are you off to?” she asked with interest.

“I just remembered that I have a fair bit of laundry to do, including my chef jacket.” he replied casually, but his best friend knows full well what his intentions are. He wants the two women to be alone together so maybe, just maybe, one of them will make a move and thus begin a passionate love story.

_ Fucking dream on, Sharma. _

“Laundry, you say?” Jamie feigns ignorance to her friend’s ploy by toying with the stem of her glass until a devious thought crosses her mind, “Would ya mind doing mine, mate?”

“I-I suppose not.” spluttered Owen, taken aback by her request.

“Cheers. It is mainly my workout gear and clothes I got muddy while working in the garden,” she pointed out, “the clothes are in the hamper.” she added with a cheeky wink.

Dani’s eyes dance between the two friends curiously, “Why does Owen need to remain in the basement while he does the laundry?” she inquired.

“Otherwise, he can’t hear when the machine is done since the basement is soundproofed.” blurted out Jamie, leading her to mentally facepalm herself after saying the latter.

“Your basement is soundproofed?” Dani probed further.

“It was like that when we moved in,” Owen lied, “we reckon the previous tenants played some sort of musical instrument or something.” he grins innocently at the blonde, who appears to buy the fabrication.

“Sooo,” Jamie speaks up to change the subject, “what is on your viewing agenda?” she nods her head in the direction of the laptop.

“It is a modern masterpiece depicting a little rapscallion with an exceptional flavour palate, and he aspires to be a renowned French chef, except due to his appearance and who he is, people will not dare eat a meal cooked by him.”

“Awww, I love Ratatouille.” commented Dani with a bright smile.

“How did you know he was yammering on about Rata-what’s-its-face?” questioned Jamie, astounded that the blonde was able to decipher his nonsensical blabbering. She holds up both of her hands, halting any response, “You know what? I don’t wanna know. Enjoy your rat film, Owen.”

“I will, thank you,” he shifts his gaze to their dinner guest, “it was a pleasure having you around for dinner, Dani.” he offers the blonde a genuine smile which she reciprocates before he retreats downstairs to the basement leaving the two women alone to enjoy each other’s company and their bowls of ice cream.

“How was work?” asked Jamie once her best friend is out of the room.

“Uneventful until you and Nadine showed up,” she takes a sip of her wine and her eyes widen with realisation, “how is Nadine?”

“She’s good. A little pissed that Owen won’t let her work for the next couple of days.” replied Jamie with a chuckle.

“Does she aim to be a chef in her own restaurant someday?”

“Naddie?” snorted Jamie in amusement at the absurdity of the question, “Unlike the rest of her family, she has no interest in pursuing a career in cooking. She only works at A Batter Place to help out her brother. However, she is a talented cook. Luckily, her family have been supportive of her other pursuits. She is currently studying to get a degree in Psychology.”

“That is very impressive,” complimented Dani, impressed at the younger Sharma, “she is lucky to have a loving and supportive family.” her ever present smile falters briefly, but it does not escape the brunette’s attention.

“Why do I get the feeling you are talking from personal experience?” inquired Jamie.

A trembling breath escapes through the radiant blonde’s lips before she speaks, “Growing up, my dad was my hero. He was the top doctor in my hometown. Always seeing to everyone’s problems with a smile on his face, no matter how big or small the issue was. He is the main reason why I wanted to be a doctor. He took great pride in helping people and ensuring they had the best medical care. He was the glue that held my family together. Whenever he was not around, I was left with my mother. She was or I should say is, pretty repressive. She always has and will push me to settle down with a guy, bear his children, and be the happy and compliant little housewife out in the suburbs,” she scoffs at the thought of her mother’s deluded fantasy that she consistently thrusts upon her, “which made it that more heartbreaking when my dad died. I was only nine.”

Jamie places a warm comforting hand atop of hers on the table, gaining a soft smile from the other woman.

“Fortunately, I had my childhood best friend to help me through it. Edmund, but I always called him, ‘Eddie.’ His mom; Judy, is one of the kindest and most loving people I have ever met. She treats me like the daughter she didn’t have, and I saw her more like a mom than my very own mother. Judy was over the moon when me and Eddie started dating in our sophomore year of highschool. We were constantly crowned King and Queen of homecoming dances and winter formals. We were the ‘it’ couple of our school and pretty much the town. On the outside we seemed like the perfect couple. However, behind closed doors we were not,” she chews her bottom lip out of anxiousness. Jamie notices her behaviour and rubs her thumb on the back of Dani’s hand to put her at ease as she continues, “in senior year, we still hadn’t gone  _ all the way _ , but not for lack of Eddie trying. He always assured me that we can take it slow and when I am ready, except it did put on a strain on our relationship. I love Eddie, but I came to realise it was not in a romantic way, more like the love you have for a friend or family member. I was still figuring out my sexuality. So, I broke up with him after senior prom and focused on pursuing a career in medicine. Applying to medical schools as far away from my hometown as possible, which was how I got into a medical school here in New York.”

“That must have been tough, Poppins.” Jamie offers her a sincere expression whilst she resumes rubbing her rub on the blonde’s hand, “But, look at you now. Living it up in the Big Apple. You graduated medical school with high marks. You are now a doctor, which would no doubt make your dad proud. Not forgetting, you have supportive friends, including yours truly.” she adds the latter with a cocky smirk.

“Thank you, Jamie.” she said earnestly, but she swiftly frowns, “However, that is not all.”

Jamie raises an inquisitive eyebrow at the other woman.

“After my breakup with Eddie, we still remained friends. The odd phone call here and there. Meanwhile in med school, I met a nice group of people who introduced me to New York’s gay scene and help me fully embrace and understand my sexuality. After I graduated med school, I managed to have a dating life. Except, most of the women I dated either did not want anything serious and it fizzled out or they felt they could not compete with my job.”

“Fucking idiots.” remarked Jamie through a chuckle. Laughing at the thought of  _ anyone  _ dismissing the chance to be in a relationship with Dani Clayton.

Dani simply shrugs a shoulder in response before she resumes speaking, “Everything was going pretty great, until several months ago. Eddie called me to meet up for drinks, which I agreed to since he is my best friend from childhood and I still wanted things to be amicable between us. But,” she breathes out a sigh at the memory, “he has always clung onto the possibility that we could resume our romantic relationship and he was very persistent upon it despite the fact I am a lesbian. He even enrolled in a college in New Jersey, so he could be near me. I know Princeton is in a different state, but still.”

Jamie freezes in her chair at that detail. “Princeton?” she repeated, narrowing her green eyes in thought.

_ That has got to be no fucking coincedence. Is Poppins’ ex a vampire? Nah, can’t be. _

“Yeah, he studied accounting. Anyway, after a disappointing drink and having to feel like utter crap after rejecting him again, he offered to drive me home. During the ride, we got into a huge argument that he couldn’t even focus on driving, so he had to pull the car over. We continued to argue a little more but it felt like hours. He could not accept my sexuality, and dismissed it as a phase,” Dani puffs out a laugh at the ridiculousness and small mindedness of her childhood friend, “I tried to make it as abundantly clear as possible, but he refused to believe it. He got out of the car and that was when…,” her blue eyes began to glisten with tears, “o-one minute he was standing and in a flash he was laying on the ground. It was a hit and run. He was rushed to St. James’ and Hannah operated on him. After the surgery, he technically died while in the recovery room,”

_ Technically? _

Dani blinks away her tears, “However, he made a full recovery from what Judy told me. A lot of that going around,” she eyes the brunette feigning suspicion, “I have not spoken to Eddie since. He seems to have seized all contact with me, which I cannot blame him for since it was my fault he was even in the hospital.” she gazes guiltily at her empty glass of wine.

“What?” scoffed Jamie in disbelief. She scoots her chair closer to the other woman. Using her index finger to gently raise the young doctor’s chin so olive green eyes can meet sapphire blue, “Poppins, you can’t blame yourself for what happened. He chose to step out of the car. It’s not like you pushed him out, so don’t beat yourself up about it.”

A stray tear trails down Dani’s cheek, encouraging Jamie to delicately wipe it away with her thumb. She smiles tenderly at the blonde, who reciprocates it and the brunette retracts her hand.

“Besides, it’s not your fault the tit ignored the Green Cross Code,” commented Jamie to lighten the mood, but the other woman stares at her perplexed, “in the UK, it’s a code to enable pedestrians to cross the road safely.” she elaborated prompting Dani to suddenly burst out laughing.

Dani’s eyes avert to the clock mounted on the kitchen wall, “I should probably go. I have a early shift in the morning.”

“Will ya be okay walking back?” asked Jamie with a hint of concern, and she escorts the blonde to the front door.

“Sure. It is only a short walk and one of the first things I did once I moved to the city was attend self-defence classes. Also,” Dani reaches into her tote bag and pulls out a small can of pepper spray, “just in case.”

Jamie’s lips tug into an impressed smirk, “You’re just full of surprises,” she opens the door where both women are met with a cold autumn breeze, “it’s a bit nippy tonight. Are you gonna be warm enough in that?” she gestures to the blonde’s sweater.

“Yeah, it is pretty snug. But, I do have this,” Dani unfurls a purple knitted scarf from her bag, “I knitted it myself.”

“You did an impressive job there, Poppins,” Jamie admires the fine knitwork on the scarf and she leans forward slightly to peer into the blonde’s bag, “what else you got in that bag?”

“The essentials.” Dani simply stated, smiling coyly whilst she wraps the scarf securely around her neck.

“I bet.” chuckled Jamie.

The pair stand in awkward silence with Dani shuffling her feet on the spot whereas Jamie is leaning her shoulder against the doorjamb, both contemplating on what to do next. A few seconds pass before the blonde breaks the silence.

“So, I guess I will see you around?”

“Yeah, of course.” Jamie lightly taps her knuckles against the doorframe whilst she watches the blonde retreat down the front steps - pondering if she should stop the other woman. However, her mind and her heart have conflicted emotions. Her heart is telling her to call out to the perky blonde and pull her into a passionate kiss, whereas her mind is telling her the opposite. To not do anything and at most, maintain a friendship with Dani. It is for her own good.

_ Just be friends. _

Except, whenever Jamie had been met with a tough decision in the past she did what her father taught her. Trust her gut. One of the few good things he taught her, she muses. She trusted her gut when she was offered to take part in the student exchange programme at college. She trusted her gut when in student orienteering, she opted to sit next to a goofy young man, who aspired to be a chef in his very own restaurant. She trusted her gut when she decided to stay in New York.

_ Gut, don’t fail me now. _

Dani has begun ambling along the sidewalk when she hears a pair of feet land on the ground not far behind her, followed by the sounds of footsteps rushing towards her. She whips her body around where she comes face to face with one feisty brunette with a heart of gold.

“J-Jamie?”

“I-uh, I forgot something.” Jamie subtly clenches her hand into a fist by her side before stretching out the fingers to steel herself for what she is about to do next.

All the air is sucked out from Dani’s lungs because one minute she was heading home after having a luscious dinner at Jamie’s house and in the next, her lips are pressed against warm and soft ones that belong to the feisty brunette. The kiss only lasts for a moment, but for both women it feels as though time has slowed. It sounds a bit cliche, but it does.

Jamie is about to pull away from the kiss, except the blonde surprises her by gripping the collar of Jamie’s shirt and tugging her closer to deepen the kiss. Everything about the radiant blonde overwhelms her senses, but in the best way possible. She dares to card her fingers through the blonde’s golden locks, and she is not disappointed by the feel of the other women’s hair on her skin. Almost like silk, but so much better.

Eventually, they slowly break away from the kiss yet their hands still remain on one another. Both grinning like idiots whilst they catch their breaths.

Jamie clears her throat to regain her composure before speaking, “So...I’ll call you.” she lets out a breathless chuckle.

“I look forward to it.” replied Dani, her trademark smile more present than ever.

After actually saying ‘Goodbye’ and wishing each other a goodnight, Dani resumes with her walk home. However, this time she is smiling giddily at the evening’s developments. Silently pleading these developments will lead to something promising. She is about one block away from her apartment when she spots what appear to be a pair of amber glowing eyes in a narrow alleyway on the opposite street. She squints her eyes to get a better look, except her view gets blocked by a passing bus. As soon as the bus has passed the alley, she notices nothing out of the ordinary. Nonetheless, she picks up the pace for the rest of the walk home, practically ‘power walking’ as Rebecca likes to describe it.

Dani hops up the small set of steps leading to her apartment building - pausing outside the main door to retrieve her keys from her bag. Once she has her keys in hand she hears a familiar ‘mew’ coming from below by the area where a few trash cans and recycling bins are stored. She peers over the ledge of the waist high wall where she is greeted by a recognisable furry face.

“Apollo, hey boy!” She stretches over the wall to scratch her neighbour’s cat on the head, eliciting a purr from the slightly overweight, ginger tabby, “Did Ms. Hawkins accidentally lock you out again?”

“Let’s get you back inside.” She stretches her arms further as she tries to maneuver the heavy cat into her arms, unbeknownst to the tall stranger emerging from an alley behind her.

They slowly stalk towards the blonde whilst she is preoccupied with lifting the feline. Their amber eyes flash red briefly, taking this as the perfect opportunity to strike.


End file.
